By midmorning, Monday, May 21, Newtown High School Peer Leadership advisor Vivian Sheen was already pleased with the turnout of students and staff in support of the Bone Marrow Registry program, sponsored by the Peer Leadership group for the second year in a row. Staff from the Rhode Island Blood Center arrived early Monday morning, she said, to assist in registering and collecting cheek cell samples from potential donors, ages 18 to 60, in the auditorium of the high school.

“We’ve had a good response,” Ms Sheen said, and added that the group hoped to surpass last year’s registry drive, in which 67 people, evenly divided between students, staff, and community members, were signed up.

By registering with the bone marrow Be The Match Donor Registry, individuals agree to remain on the list as a possible donor until age 61, unless they become unwilling or unable to donate.

Be The Match is the largest registry in the world providing a means for thousands of patients with life-threatening diseases or leukemia to find a match. According to BeTheMatch.org, 70 percent of patients in need of a bone marrow transplant do not have a matching family donor. Ten thousand patients every year rely on a cure through the donation of bone marrow for a transplant from someone outside of the family, and only five out of ten patients receive the transplant they need.

Newtown High School student Scott Keating was one of several seniors that registered at the May 21 drive. 

“It requires no effort on my part,” said Scott. “If it’s something that could help someone or even save a life, there’s no reason not to do it,” he said.

Registrants filled out detailed health information and reviewed the program with Rhode Island Blood Center staff members prior to providing the cheek swab samples for entry into the registry.

For more information or to register as a donor, visit www.BeTheMatch.org or call 800-MARROW2.