Last semester, the students of the athletic training
program, along side many of the student athletes, participated in a pilot
program called "Be The Match". Phil Page, an alumnus of the LSU Athletic Training
Program, who is suffering from severe aplastic anemia, started this program in
the hopes of expanding the amount of possible matches for those with severe
illnesses how are in need of life-saving bone marrow donations.
Currently, Phil is the Director of Research for Theraband, and he also
manages a blog, bonemarinara.com, which tells his medical story as well as serves as a
resource for those looking for more information about being a blood or bone
marrow donor. His blog specifically talks about his disease, the symptoms, treatments,
and hardships he has had to overcome. To
participate in the "Be The Match" program, the athletic training students were
able to collect about 150 swabs from other athletic training students and
student athletes willing to be added to the possible donor list. Initially, the Athletic Training Program’s
intention was to help secure donations. After doing so, the idea to challenge
other schools to participate surfaced.
The "Be The Match" program is now in the works of becoming a national
program. Three of those that participated in the collection were contacted
about being possible matches for someone in need. One our athletic training students, Adrianne
Bosworth, was one who received a letter in the mail that she was a possible match. After an extensive medical history,
a contact informed her she was not a match. Adrianne told us, “when I first found out that
I could be a match I was very excited that I could possibly help change
someone’s life. I was pretty disappointed
when I found out I was not a match.” With hopes that her profile will remain in the "Be The Match" database, we are all optimistic and excited to be able to help such as great cause. There will be another collection coming up
this spring!
