Family, friends and lacrosse teammates will host a bone marrow drive Saturday in Denver to find potential donors for , who was recently diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, and others awaiting a match.
The drive, set for 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Stapleton’s Founders Green at 7351 E. 29th Ave., will encourage people to sign up with the Be The Match Registry to become potential donors for patients among more than 14,000 diagnosed with life-threatening blood diseases each year.
In about 70 percent of cases, the patient does not have a close family member who can serve as a donor and looks to the registry to find a compatible match. Marks, an active boy who enjoys snowboarding and music as well as lacrosse, currently is undergoing chemotherapy as he awaits a suitable donor.
The drive will feature live music, food trucks, a dunk tank, silent auction and other fundraising efforts to help Marks, Be The Match and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Potential donors between the ages of 18 and 44 complete a short health history and consent form before submitting a cheek swab for initial testing.
They can also join the registry at ǰ.
