BOWIE, Md. - For the second-straight year, the Bowie State football team collaborated with Be The Match in a marrow registery drive last week at the BSU Student Center on campus.

"I want to thank Coach Talley and Beth Carrion for the opportunity to work with the Be The Match organization," said head football coach Kyle Jackson. "The team enjoyed working and supporting a great cause. We look forward to continuing this relationship and helping individuals find their match!"

Last year, the Bulldogs joined forces with Be The Match and BSU alum Kayla Smith Owens who as diagnosed with sickle cell at birth. Smith Owens did not start to experience any effects of the disease until she was 11 years old. Although her disease seemed to be manageable, it was not until she started college where Smith Owens would have to take time off from school because it appeared to be too much. While attending Bowie State, Smith Owens realized that there were other students fighting this disease just like her and she realized that she could help others by sharing her story highlighted by a round table discussion at the White House about the sickle cell disease.

Be The Match is operated by the National Marrow Donor Program and helps patients receive life-saving transplants. They are dedicated to raising awareness and funds needed to help all patients get the transplant they need. Be The Match focuses on finding potential donors ages 18-44, so it is critical that they register as many college students as possible. Their research shows that younger donors are best for patients because they provide the greatest chance for transplant success. Donors between the ages of 18 and 44 are asked to donate more than 90% of the time.

Every year, thousands of people of all ages are diagnosed with blood cancers like leukemia or lymphoma, sickle cell anemia or other life-threatening diseases. Many of them will not survive unless they get a bone marrow or cord blood transplant from a matching donor. 70-percent of people do not have a donor in their family and depend on the Be The Match registry to find a match and save their life. Because tissue types are inherited, patients are most likely to match someone of their own race or ethnicity. Registry members of diverse racial and ethnic ancestry are especially needed, so every patient has the chance for a cure.

For those interested in helping find a match, join the Be The Match Registry. All it takes is a simple cheer swab. Text "BOWIESAVES" to 61474 to save a life or my.bethmatch.org/bowiesaves.

For the most up-to-date information on Bowie State University Athletics and its 13 varsity sports teams, please visit www.bsubulldogs.com.