#Join4Joe

The St. Louis Cardinals and the St. Louis Baseball Writers have teamed up to sponsor #Join4Joe, an annual blood stem cell donor drive to add individuals to the NMDP Registry. Growing the national registry increases the chances of finding a donor match for patients awaiting a life-saving blood stem cell or bone marrow transplant. For the thousands of people diagnosed every year with life-threatening blood cancers and diseases like leukemia, lymphoma, and sickle cell, a cure exists. NMDP, formerly known as Be The Match, is the most diverse blood stem cell donor registry in the world giving patients access to 39 million potential donors globally. They work every day to save lives through cell therapy and progress.

#Join4Joe is an annual drive and awareness campaign organized to honor the legacy of Joe Strauss, a gifted journalist and longtime Cardinals beat writer for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch who passed away in December 2015 after a courageous battle against Leukemia.

#Join4Joe's goal is to help others battling leukemia and other blood cancers. The need for donors is great. Every three minutes, someone is diagnosed with blood cancer, and only 30% of patients have a fully matched donor in their family. Because you are most likely to match someone of your own ethnic background, it is important that the Registry's diversity continues to increase. Only 40% of the registry identifies as ethnically diverse.

The Cardinals will host the 9th annual #Join4Joe blood stem cell donor drive virtually during the month of November to celebrate National Marrow Awareness Month.

Fans can learn more about blood stem cell and marrow donation or request a simple cheek swab kit anytime by visiting my.bethematch.org/Join4JoeSTL or texting Join4Joe to 61474 and a blue registration link will come right to your phone. Follow the link, scroll to the bottom to click your age range, and register as a donor using the "mail me a kit" option. NMDP¡¯s lab will code a unique kit just for you and mail it to your house where you can safely swab and send it back using the paid envelope provided. NMDP is specifically looking for donors age 18-40, as research shows that cells from younger donors lead to better patient outcomes post-transplant. Learn more about what it means to be a donor ?

Through the #Join4Joe drive, nearly 250 potential donors have joined the registry since 2016.

Images from 1st Annual Bone Marrow Drive @ Busch Stadium in honor of Joe Strauss that took place on Saturday, August 6, 2016

At NMDP, we believe each of us holds the key to curing blood cancers and disorders. As a global nonprofit leader in cell therapy, NMDP creates essential connections between researchers and supporters to inspire action and accelerate innovation to find life-saving cures. With the help of blood stem cell donors from the world's most diverse registry and our extensive network of transplant partners, physicians and caregivers, we're expanding access to treatment so that every patient can receive their life-saving cell therapy. NMDP. Find cures. Save lives.