Marshall University freshmen Braden Cotton, left, and Emily Price set up a booth inside the Memorial Student Center Wednesday, April 9, 2025, to collect swab samples of potential stem cell and bone marrow donors.
Marshall University freshmen Braden Cotton, left, and Emily Price set up a booth to collect swab samples from potential stem cell and bone marrow donors outside of the Memorial Student Center on Tuesday, April 8, 2025.
A Marshall University student takes a swab sample from his mouth to register to become a potential stem cell or bone marrow donor outside of the Memorial Student Center on Tuesday, April 8, 2025.
Marshall University freshmen Braden Cotton, left, and Emily Price set up a booth inside the Memorial Student Center Wednesday, April 9, 2025, to collect swab samples of potential stem cell and bone marrow donors.
Marshall University freshmen Braden Cotton, left, and Emily Price set up a booth to collect swab samples from potential stem cell and bone marrow donors outside of the Memorial Student Center on Tuesday, April 8, 2025.
A Marshall University student takes a swab sample from his mouth to register to become a potential stem cell or bone marrow donor outside of the Memorial Student Center on Tuesday, April 8, 2025.
HUNTINGTON Ƶ Several Marshall University students spent Tuesday and Wednesday collecting swab samples at the Memorial Student Center to find potential stem cell and bone marrow donors.
Freshman Emily Price was diagnosed with biphenotypic leukemia at the age of 10 and ultimately needed a bone marrow transplant. This year, she chose to join the Marshall chapter of the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) to Ƶtake my story and use it as something positive,Ƶ she said.
ƵI worked with them some at my high school, and then now, coming to Marshall, I now want to make a difference within the Marshall community and have NMDP along that road with me. And just coming here Ƶ itƵs been really amazing and really great for me,Ƶ she said.
Freshman Braden CottonƵs fiancé Alex Armstrong was diagnosed with anaplastic large cell lymphoma, a form of non-HodgkinƵs lymphoma, in April of her senior year at Cabell Midland High School.
Last year, Cotton raised funds through a color run 5K hosted by the CMHS student council, and Armstrong was able to go through treatment. But in February, she relapsed and will now need a stem cell transplant once sheƵs in remission.
Cotton, alongside Price and a rotating cast of volunteers, collected 191 swab samples between Tuesday and Wednesday to send to the NMDP.
ƵWeƵve had a tremendous amount of people on the registry so far, and we are overjoyed and really excited,Ƶ Cotton said.
Cotton said the key age group for stem cell transplants is between 18 to 25, which is why the NMDP reaches out and creates chapters within colleges.
The way the program works, Price said, is by taking cheek swabs of potential donors and sending them to NMDP to be registered. Once the swabs are registered, donors may be called at any time to travel to the nearest facility in Florida, with all fees paid, to donate their stem cells or bone marrow.
Donors are found through genetic HLA markers on blood cells which indicate if that person is a match. Once a match is found, that person may either be asked to donate stem cells through an IV or bone marrow through a process that harvests it from the pelvic bone. Price said bone marrow is harvested only 10% of the time.
ƵMy donor, he was able to go home and drive home himself the day of. So he said it really wasnƵt awful,Ƶ Price said, noting the recovery for bone marrow donation is about one to seven days.
Price said there are some factors which would prevent someone from becoming a donor, like having an autoimmune disease or having had a blood disorder or blood cancer. She said people who had a blood transfusion in the past may also not be able to donate.
Although the collection table was only set up for Tuesday and Wednesday, Price said anyone wishing to become a donor may contact her or Cotton at any time, text ƵMarshallNMDPƵ to 61474, or visit .
According to the website, donors should be between the ages of 18 and 40, a resident of the United States and able to meet the NMDPƵs medical guidelines.
Katelyn Aluise is an education and court reporter.
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