CSI Strives to Save Lives with Upcoming Marrow Donor Registry Drive in Gurnee
Gurnee, IL (PRWEB) July 21, 2014 -- Computer Systems Institute (CSI) will hold a Marrow Donor Registry Drive at the CSI Gurnee campus from 11 am to noon on Thursday, July 24, to help find donors for people waiting for bone marrow transplants, including Nyiah, a seven-year old girl who suffers from sickle cell anemia and a rare condition called Moyamoya syndrome. Current CSI students, prospective students, and other Gurnee-area residents are encouraged to attend the event.
Anyone between the ages of 18 and 44 may qualify to donate bone marrow, and even if an individual is not a donor match for Nyiah, he or she may be able to save the life of another person who suffers from leukemia, sickle cell anemia, or other blood cancers and diseases that are best treated through bone marrow transplantation.
Joining the registry is an easy process requiring only that participants watch a presentation, provide information, and consent to a cheek swab. But individuals who join can make a life-changing difference for people like Nyiah, who suffered a stroke at age three and now requires monthly blood transfusions to avoid additional strokes.
Every year, close to 20,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with potentially fatal illnesses that are most effectively treated through bone marrow or umbilical cord blood transplants. Sadly, as many as 7 out of 10 of these people do not have any blood relatives who are compatible donors, leaving them dependent on donations from others, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
CSI’s Marrow Donor Registry Drive may especially benefit children, who have a significantly shorter life expectancy if they are unable to receive a marrow donation, and people with diverse ancestry, who may have a difficult time finding donors. As an example, just 7 percent of currently registered bone marrow donors are African American, according to the National Marrow Donor Program.
The CSI Gurnee campus is located at 5330 Grand Avenue; the event will be held in the Orientation Room. For more information, call 847-263-4258 or email Inquiries(at)csinow(dot)edu. People who are not able to attend and would like additional information about the bone marrow registry and donation process can visit BeTheMatch.org to learn more.
About Computer Systems Institute
CSI offers postsecondary career programs in information technology, healthcare and business designed to be completed in as little as 32 weeks, as well as English Language and professional programs for international students. The school has five Chicago-area campuses in the Chicago Loop, Skokie, Gurnee, Elgin and Lombard, plus two Massachusetts locations in Charlestown and Worcester. Collectively, the campuses serve students from more than 70 countries. Founded in 1989, CSI is accredited by the North Central Association, approved by the Division of Private Business and Vocational Schools of the Illinois Board of Higher Education, approved by the Department of Veterans Affairs to accept the GI bill, and authorized under federal law to enroll non-immigrant alien students. It is also a Microsoft IT Academy and Prometric Testing Center. For more information, visit http://www.csinow.edu.
Dawn Bravo, Computer Systems Institute, http://www.csinow.edu/, +1 847-967-5030, [email protected]
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