TIFFIN, Ohio — There is a cure for multiple forms of blood cancer, but it relies on people making small sacrifices.
Tiffin University's men's football, women's soccer and women's basketball teams on Wednesday urged their fellow students to sign up for the Be The Match bone marrow donor registry.
A simple mouth swab and basic information could be the key to finding a donor match for people across the country who are fighting leukemia, lymphoma and other life-threatening diseases.
"It's that 18 to 22 range, and under 40 is what we're really trying to attract," TU head football coach Cris Reisert said. "And so we've got a bunch of football athletes and other student-athletes and students on campus trying to attract them and really increase that database in an effort to hopefully do some good and have a chance to save a life."
An event like the one on Wednesday is a prime opportunity to gather students for the cause, TU President Lillian Schumacher said.
"When we can collaborate and get a group of over 200 students to be able to rally around something so important as this event, we want to do that," Schumacher said.
Wednesday's event was part of the national Get in the Game initiative, with multiple college athletic departments recruiting for the non-profit Be The Match.
Reisert took part in the program at a former school and knew it could help build character in his players at Tiffin.
"Within our program, within the university, we want to be servant-leaders. Be those that are going to humble ourselves and find ways to add value to everyone else around us," Reisert said. "It's another opportunity to serve and realize that when you serve you're actually getting a lot out of it too, and you're learning to grow as a person."
And the coaches and student-athletes at TU expect the initiative to become an annual tradition on campus.
"It's just something that we want to do to help our community and just help the world in general because there is so much bad in this world, and it's good to just do something nice for a change," senior football player Jordan Speller said.
Be The Match can also mail a swabbing kit to your home.