Sign up to save a life online today with the National Be The Match Program!
It’s never been easier to register to donate bone marrow—an act that could make the difference between life and death for cancer patients waiting for a transplant.
Be the Match is a national bone marrow registry where doctors go to find donor matches for patients awaiting bone marrow transplants. Farmers kicked-off a national campaign to promote the registry with our thousands of employees, agents and district managers by hosting a blood drive and on-site bone marrow registry on Wednesday, Aug. 3, at the Farmers Insurance Home Office. The event was facilitated by City of Hope, a leading cancer research hospital in Los Angeles.
See my previous blog about the City of Hope honoring Farmers Insurance.
In honor of CEO Bob Woudstra’s recognition by City of Hope’s National Insurance Industry Council as the 2011 Spirit of Life Award Honoree, Farmers is sponsoring registration for the Farmers team.
You can sign up now to join the registry online by visiting www.bethematch.org, click “Join the Registry,” then “Join Now,” fill out the information and enter the promo code: Farmers4Hope. A few days later, you’ll get a kit in the mail. Swipe the insides of your cheeks with the cotton swabs provided, stick the swabs back in the envelope, put it in the mail and you’re done!
Jose Smith, IT program manager, is a Farmers employee who knows first-hand the reward of registering to donate bone marrow. A husband and father of three boys, Smith registered with Be the Match in 2008 in an effort to help a colleague, Leon Watkins, who was battling Leukemia.
“The process was so much easier than I expected,” said Smith. “And for me, whether I matched Leon, or someone I didn't know, it didn't matter,” says Smith. “It was a rare chance to help someone with something that no one else could.”
In addition to the bone marrow drive, City of Hope collected 47 pints of blood from Farmers employees, surpassing the 35 needed. The blood will go directly to help cancer patients at City of Hope. A second Farmers blood and bone marrow drive is planned for Thursday, Aug. 4, at the Westlake Village offices.
Go to www.bethematch.org today and sign up to save a life.
To learn more about City of Hope and their efforts to eliminate cancer, go to www.cityofhope.org.
