Participants in Dance Marathon can save lives in ways other than dancing.
Anyone can register to be bone marrow donors by completing four cotton cheek swabs and a few pages of registration forms.
John Heinemann, a University of Iowa graduate student, said signing up was an easy way to help save lives.
“I didn’t really think about it, it just sounded like a good thing to do,” he said. “If it’s going to help somebody, that’s great.”
Heinemann, who is an organ donor and also donates blood, said the process was very quick and simple.
Project Marrow sets up shop directly outside the IMU Main Lounge, encouraging dancers to sign up for the match registry.
Once a person swabs their cheeks the information is sent to a match registry for patients who need a bone marrow donation, said UI junior Livia Lisboa. The cheek tissue cells can match two people who are compatible.
“If someone has a deadly blood disease, they’re going to have to find a match,” Lisboa said. “[Project Marrow] recruits potential donors to join the match registry. It’s an opportunity to save lives.”
Project Marrow has had roughly 200 people sign up since the Big Event started last night. Lisboa said last year 100 people signed up.
“We’ve hit the 200 mark now, and the event’s not even over yet,” she said. “It’s been a good year.”
And the group’s members hope to see that number increase by the end of today’s Big Event.
Lisboa attributed the increase in registration numbers to an increase in advertising.
“Us, as an organization, we’ve grown a lot,” she said.
Project Marrow officials have advertised the group’s efforts with radio interviews and showing up at events like Maze earlier in the school year.
Lisboa said roughly 300 people signed up to be potential donors during the Maze event.
— By Jordyn Reiland and Kristen East
Students sign up to potentially donate bone marrow during Dance Marathon 18 on Saturday. Each person swabs their cheek to see if they are a match. The Daily Iowan/Jessica Payne
