After William (Bill) Pomeroy was diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia in 2004, he was extremely relieved to learn he had a fully matched donor on the Be The Match Registry.
Bill received his transplant in 2005. But through his life-changing experience, he learned other patients aren’t so lucky—particularly patients with ethnically diverse backgrounds.
Currently, the chance of having a matched, available donor on the registry ranges from 29-79% depending on patient ethnic background.
Since receiving his transplant, Bill and his family have been generous and dedicated partners of Be The Match®, serving on both Be The Match Foundation® and the National Marrow Donor Program® boards. Bill’s transplant experience also served as a catalyst for the creation of the William G. Pomeroy Foundation that works closely with us to expand our recruitment efforts—especially for ethnically diverse donors.
“Patients are most likely to match a donor of their own ethnic background,” Bill said. “Improving the ethnic diversity of the registry improves all patients’ odds of finding a life-saving match, regardless of ethnic background.”
This year, to make their support go even further, the William G. Pomeroy Foundation is sponsoring a matching gift opportunity, in recognition of World Marrow Donor Day (WMDD) on September 17, with a $500,000 donation.
WMDD is celebrated annually to thank all blood stem cell donors worldwide. Donations to Be The Match during the month of September will be matched dollar for dollar, up to $500,000, for double the impact.
We are beyond grateful to the William G. Pomeroy Foundation—and all our incredible donors and registry members—for joining us in the fight against blood cancer and blood diseases.
You can celebrate our selfless hero donors and registry members by getting your gift matched today. Your doubled donation will add more donors to the registry, so every patient will have a greater chance of finding a match—and a second chance at life.
