The Class of 2002 at the University of Notre Dame will sponsor a bone marrow drive Tuesday (April 16) from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. in the LaFortune Student Center ballroom.p. A large turnout is expected and volunteer donors may register for an appointment and learn about eligibility online at http://www.nd.edu/~class02/donor/.. Walk-in donors also are welcome.p. The drive will be held in memory of Brione Clary, Conor Murphy and Miranda Thomas, three members of the senior class who died of cancer. The event aims to find a bone marrow match for the father of Notre Dame junior Ann Gurucharri, who has been diagnosed with myelodysplasia, a disease that causes the bone marrow to overproduce cells that do not mature normally.p. Supported by funds from The Shirt and cosponsored by Howard Hall and the Minority Pre-Medical Society, the event also aims to recruit minorities, who comprise the most underrepresented population in the national bone marrow bank. Matches are often consistent with shared ethnic backgrounds, and the society hopes to increase the chances of finding matches for minorities.p. Volunteers will not donate marrow directly in the drive; instead, after a short medical screening, they will each donate a small amount of blood. After the samples are genetically examined, the volunteers will be registered in the national bone marrow bank and will remain registered until age 61. They will be contacted at any time if a match is found.p. Efforts are under way to establish the event as the first in an annual Domer Donors Program, which will work to recruit new potential donors and bring awareness to the drive each year by spotlighting one member or friend of the Notre Dame community awaiting a bone marrow transplant.
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