Be The Match campaign looks for more diverse donors at Duke University

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Wednesday, February 22, 2023
Be The Match campaign looks for more diverse donors at Duke University
Tuesday marks one year since Robin Roberts returned to Good Morning America following her diagnosis of a rare blood disorder that affects bone marrow.

DURHAM, N.C. (WTVD) -- Tuesday marks ten years since Robin Roberts returned to Good Morning America following her diagnosis of a rare blood disorder that affects bone marrow.

She was able to get a successful transplant thanks to her sister Sally-Ann who was a perfect match for the procedure.

Over the past decade, Roberts and "GMA" have spread awareness of the importance of the Be The Match registry, a nonprofit organization operated by the National Marrow Donor Program, which manages the world's largest bone marrow donor registry.

The organization set up shop in Durham on Duke University's campus in an effort to make the registry more diverse and help people find their match.

Anyone 18-40 years old can join Be The Match.

Once someone is identified as a match, the process of donating has become simpler over the past decade, with 90% of donations collected via a non-surgical procedure that resembles donating plasma or platelets.

Last week we introduced you to Liz McEntee.

The nursing student saved a life after she became a match after signing up for the National Marrow Donor Program.

"If one of my grandparents had leukemia, I would be begging everybody I knew to join the registry. And if I can give somebody the opportunity to grow up with all of the grandparents or one more, then I'm going to do that," McEntee said.

People can go online to see if you're a match.