WKCTC Nursing Students Invite Community to Join Fight Against Blood Cancer

Bone Marrow Registration Drive on Campus October 24

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PADUCAH, KY (10/15/2018) Students in West Kentucky Community and Technical College's chapter of the Kentucky Association of Nursing Students (KANS) are taking on the fight against blood cancer with a bone marrow donor registration drive October 24 from noon to 5 p.m. The event will take place in three locations on campus: Allied Health Building and Anderson Technical Building lobbies and the Student Center.

The students are joining forces with DKMS, an international non-profit organization dedicated to the fight against blood cancer and blood disorders by: creating awareness; recruiting bone marrow donors to provide a second chance at life; raising funds to match donor registration costs; supporting the improvement of therapies through research; and supporting patients from day one of their diagnoses. The event, called DKMS - We Delete Blood Cancer, is near and dear to the hearts of the nursing students.

"As soon as I received an email about putting together a DKMS event on campus, I knew we (nursing students) had do it," said WKCTC nursing student and event coordinator Kaycee Byrd. "Being in our fourth and final semester, we have plenty on our plates, but I knew if we worked together we could accomplish it. We all agreed we wanted to leave a lasting impact here (WKCTC)....something that could really make a difference in people's lives."

Byrd said the statistics from DKMS are staggering.

  • Every 3 minutes, someone in the US is diagnosed with blood cancer.
  • While 30% of patients can find a donor within their family, 70% must rely on a perfect stranger to donate.
  • A bone marrow or stem cell transplant can be a lifesaving treatment for patients with blood cancers and about 70 other diseases, including aplastic anemia and sickle cell disease.
  • Every year, around 12,000 new searches are initiated in the US for an unrelated matching donor.
  • Diversity matters. Most patients find a donor in someone who shares their ancestry.

Registering to be a bone marrow donor takes a few minutes with a swab of the cheek that will add the donor's name to the DKMS - We Delete Blood Cancer database.

"Becoming a bone marrow donor is fast and easy and it's the first step to providing a patient with a second chance." said Byrd. "We are asking our fellow students, faculty, staff and community to join the fight to delete blood cancer."

More information can be found on the WKCTC website at westkentucky.kctcs.edu, search for DKMS or by contacting Kaycee Byrd at kbyrd0041@kctcs.edu, 270-293-4732.