BREWER, Maine (NEWS CENTER)-- As people were running, walking or biking for cancer research at the Champion the Cure Challenge in Brewer on Saturday, CancerCenter of Maine hosted a bone marrow donor drive to try and help people find a bone marrow match.
Drive organizers said the goal was to try and get 200 people to join the bone marrow donor registry. It did not cost people anything to sign up. All they had to do was provide some medical information and swab the inside of their cheeks.
The manager of nursing services at CancerCare of Maine said it is important to have these drives because there is a need for donors in Maine and nationally because it can be difficult to find a match.
"We'd like to add to the registry so our donors have an opportunity to find a match. It's about 1 in 20,000 and 70 percent of the matches are unrelated donors," Manager of Nursing Services at CancerCenter of Maine Brenda Clements said.
Clements said she is planning on have this drive again next year to go along with the Champion the Cure Challenge.
