Ford Dealership Hosts Bone Marrow Drive

The showroom at Ford was transformed from a location to browse vehicles to a location of hope.

The dealership was working with Be The Match national marrow donor program to host a registration drive Friday at the dealership.

Employees and their families volunteered to help register potential donors and take a mouth swab of the inside of their cheeks to find the person’s tissue type. The information is then added the international Be the Match Registry.

The inspiration for the drive was the dealership's controller, Art DeCook, who contracted lymphoma and was in need of a bone marrow donor. While his brothers were determined to be a match, there are thousands who have blood cancers and are still in need of a match.

"There are a lot of people who don't have a match and this is an opportunity to be a lifesaver," said Ryan DeCook, assistant controller at Roy O'Brien and Art's son. "He will no longer have cancer or lupus (which Art DeCook had previously) if this is successful."

The dealership's goal for the drive is to have 100 people register, fill out the paperwork and have the inside of their cheek swabbed.

The cells are then added to the registry. If a patient is matched, the donor is contacted about donating peripheral blood stem cells or making a marrow donation.

"There are over 10,000 Americans diagnosed annually with a form of blood cancer," said Tarita Gibson, account executive with Be the Match Registry. "Thirty percent find a match with their family and 70 percent contact the registry. There is a large need."

The bone marrow donor drive goes until 3 p.m. Friday. For information call (586) 776-7600.