EAST STROUDSBURG -- The #RelentlesS Get in the Game Marrow Drive in memory of East Stroudsburg University men's basketball's Ryan Smith, totaled 498 potential donors. The marrow drive, which partnered the East Stroudsburg University Athletic Department, Be The Match and the Andy Talley Bone Marrow Foundation on September 2, was successful in its mission to add a significant amount of potential donors to the Be The Match Registry ® in memory of Smith.
The inaugural event is named in honor of Ryan Smith, who passed away after a 19-month battle with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) in March 2021. While Smith was highly successful on the court as a Warrior - being named the 2018-19 PSAC East Freshman of the Year - his relentless spirit and inspiration to the ESU community through his battle with leukemia will be his long-lasting legacy.
"I would like to thank the Andy Talley Bone Marrow Foundation and Be The Match for a very successful #RelelentlesS Get in the Game Marrow Drive in memory of Ryan Smith," said ESU men's basketball head coach Jeff Wilson. "Ryan's impact on the ESU community was clear as we were able to generate 498 registrations. The goal is to be able to find a match and save a life and this enormously successful drive will hopefully find one or more donors. I also want to thank the athletic programs, coaches and student-athletes for volunteering to work the event. We would not have had the success we did without the efforts of everyone within the ESU Athletic Department!"
100-plus ESU student-athletes volunteered on over 10 Warrior teams, helping take donor information and administering swab kits on campus in University Center. It was the first athletic department-wide initiative event that the Andy Talley Bone Marrow Foundation has partnered with. An average drive usually nets around 100 potential donors.
"The success of ESU's GITG drive shows the nation exactly what happens when the entire campus community comes together to save lives," said Krista Ross, Executive Director of The Andy Talley Bone Marrow Foundation. "Typically, our drives have encompassed the support of the football team. These events have been very successful. ESU's event however will absolutely be used as a guide to show our schools how to incorporate the support of athletics as a whole. They are an example of excellence! We are honored to work with the ESU community. If statistics hold true, ESU's event will result is 3 lives being saved via transplant in the near future. What a way to honor Ryan and his relentless spirit! We look forward to doing it again next year."
The East Stroudsburg University football team has hosted Get In The Game donor drives for three years, adding 482 new Be The Match Registry members in that span. Get In The Game is a joint program between the Andy Talley Bone Marrow Foundation and Be The Match, which manages the most diverse marrow registry in the world. Be The Match, operated by the National Marrow Donor Program, offers a potential cure through blood stem cell and marrow transplants for the thousands of people diagnosed every year with blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma and life-threatening blood diseases like sickle cell and aplastic anemia. Along with ESU football, the ESU women's lacrosse team had previously hosted a Be The Match Registry marrow drive in support of ESU women's lacrosse student athlete Alyssa Oxenford, who passed away in 2015 after battling leukemia.
The event was in conjunction with the ESU Football game against Pace University. Both teams raised their helmets to a video slideshow of Smith prior to kickoff. Pace has also participated in a Get In The Game marrow drive, recording 57 registrations and one donor.
Gallery: (9-2-2021) #RelentlesS Get In The Game Marrow Drive
"The #RelentlesS Get In The Game Marrow Drive was one of our most successful events that we have been apart of in nearly 30 years of hosting marrow drives," said Andy Talley, former Villanova head football coach and founder and president of The Andy Talley Bone Marrow Foundation. "The event was first-class, and we're excited to partner with ESU for future events in Ryan Smith's name."
The East Stroudsburg University Athletic Department would like to thank all of those who registered to be a potential donor, all of the student-athletes that volunteered along with Be The Match and The Andy Talley Bone Marrow Foundation for their help in putting together such a successful event in Ryan Smith's name.
About Be The Match
For people with life-threatening blood cancers—like leukemia and lymphoma—or other diseases, a cure exists. Be The Match connects patients with their donor match for a life-saving marrow or umbilical cord blood transplant. People can contribute to the cure as a member of the Be The Match Registry, financial contributor or volunteer. Be The Match provides patients and their families one-on-one support, education, and guidance before, during and after transplant.
Be The Match is operated by the National Marrow Donor Program® (NMDP), a nonprofit organization that matches patients with donors, educates health care professionals and conducts research so more lives can be saved. To learn more about the cure, visit BeTheMatch.org or call 1 (800) MARROW-2.
