How to Be a Hero

Superman, Wonder Woman, Spider-Man, Batman…  sure, their status as Superhero is well-deserved, but you don’t have to be a fictional character in tights and a cape to save lives.  You can actually take the first step by doing the simplest of things:  swabbing the inside of your mouth with a Q-tip.

Be the Match is the National Marrow Registry Program.  If you’ve ever heard someone talk about having a friend needing a bone marrow transplant because of a serious disease, and having to search “the database” for a potential match… this is the database they’re talking about.  It’s crucial to a lot of very sick people, including Denham Springs teen Gabe Hilliard, that there is a group of heroes willing to step up to save the life of someone in need.

Listen to what Shaquille O’Neal, Trent Johnson, and Dale Brown have to say about Be the Match:

You can be the one to save a life. If that’s not the definition of a hero, what is?

Denham Springs High School student Gabe Hilliard is in treatment for Hodgkins Lymphoma for the second time.  He’s awaiting transplant, thanks to a match found through the Be the Match registry.  The Hilliard family wants to be able to give other families the same hope for a full and healthy life that they’ve been given, thanks to an anonymous hero.  You can be that life-saver for someone else’s child or someone else’s parent.

And it all starts with a Q-tip.

Please join us on Wednesday, April 6th at the LSU Student Union’s Royal Cotillion Ballroom, between 9am and 3pm.  If you’re between the ages of 18 and 60 and you meet the medical guidelines, you’re eligible to sign up for the Be the Match registry.  We can answer your questions about the marrow donation process and what happens if you get “the call” saying that you’re a match.

Please Help Gabe in his quest to find heroes…heroes just like you!