Mercy hosting marrow drive at Niederman Farm

WEST CHESTSER, Ohio - Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts is recovering from a bone marrow transplant. She was lucky, her sister was her donor and a perfect match. Unfortunately, 70 percent of patients do not have a matching family member. 

Mercy Healthy is teaming up with Be the Match, the national marrow donor program, for a donor drive on Oct. 12. 

The donor drive is at the Niederman Family Farm on Friday, Oct. 12 from 6- 8 p.m.

With just a simple swab of the cheek, men and women can join the registry before enjoying the farm’s Fall Festival, which features a 17-acre corn maze, hay rides, pumpkin patch, barnyard animals, fire pit, seasonal snacks and acoustic music.

Nurses from The Jewish Hospital Blood and Marrow Transplant Center – Mercy Health are using funds from the 2009-2011 Southern Ohio Soccer Marrowthon to cover all the cost of adding donors to the registry. They will staff the donor drive booth on the farm and hope to add many more people to the registry, knowing that each registrant has the potential to save lives that might otherwise be lost to cancer.

“Thousands of patients with blood cancers, such as leukemia and lymphoma, depend on Be the Match’s national marrow donor registry to find a donor who could potentially save their life,” said Audrey Maschino, Clinical Research Nurse at The Jewish Hospital – Mercy Health. “Our hope is that by raising awareness about the importance and need for donors, we will encourage many more people to join the registry.”

Be the Match especially needs individuals between the ages of 18-44 to sign-up for the registry. Donors within this age span provide cells and bone marrow that tend to have higher survival rates in recipients.

The Niederman Family farm is located at 4972 LeSourdesville-West Chester Road in Liberty Township. 

For more information on the donor drive call Dannie Moore: (513) 265-5242.