NC St Campus Bone Marrow Donors Highlight Blood Cancer Fight

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Five people who stepped forward to give a piece of themselves and help fight blood cancer are hoping others will do the same.

The five are gathering Monday at North Carolina State University to encourage others to become bone marrow donors.

They participated in a campus effort two years ago to register people willing to donate their bone marrow if a potentially life-saving match can be found. Human bone marrow and stem cells are used to treat cancer and other serious illnesses of the blood.

Five of the 403 students who registered in May 2014 were matched to patients. That's despite odds of finding a match at 400 to 1.

About 70 percent of people suffering from blood-related illnesses rely on donors outside their families to save their lives.