Wives Behind the Badge Announces New Partnership with Be The Match®

March 21, 2015 - PRLog -- Wives Behind the Badge Announces New Partnership with Be The Match®


With more than 14.5 million people in the United States alone having a confirmed form of cancer, everyone can relate to knowing a person diagnosed with cancer. Be The Match specifically tackles blood cancers, such as leukemia and lymphoma, and other life-threatening blood diseases by operating the world’s largest and most diverse registry of volunteer potential marrow donors. Together, Wives Behind the Badge, Inc. and Be The Match have signed a new partnership to fight blood cancers through police family support. This partnership not only encourages police families to sign up to join the Be The Match Registry® as potential marrow donors, but they strive to connect families in need with a donor match.

The transplant process cures blood cancers with a bone marrow or cord blood transplant. According to BeTheMatch.org, “70% of patients who need a transplant do not have a matching donor in their family.” With the support of Wives Behind the Badge, Be The Match will continuously search to find a match to save a life.

To be a bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cell donor there are three phases. Wives Behind the Badge will actively assist In Step 1 where interested donors are encouraged to sign up by connecting individuals in need and those who wish to donate with their Be The Match representative to get them set up within their state. Once a match is made, Step 2 the potential donor will undergo additional testing, including a physical exam and blood test, to determine whether the potential donor is the best match for the patient. Adult donors may be asked to donate in one of two ways. The patient’s doctor determines the method that is best for the patient. One is surgical and the other is non-surgical. Step 3 is the recovery phase. Recovery for a donor takes anywhere from one day to seven days after the donation and Be The Match follows up throughout the recovery process to answer questions and be sure all recoveries are successful.

Through the new partnership, Wives Behind the Badge representatives and Be The Match representatives will be hosting events throughout the United States to promote both organizations’ missions to increase the availability and access to healthcare for patients as well as serve as a positive voice for police families. Events will be hosted together throughout the year to bring further community awareness. Such events include “Thank a Police Officer Day” in September and the Wives Behind the Badge annual retreat.

To learn more about Be The Match with Wives Behind the Badge, Inc., contact Brooke L. at volunteer@wivesbehindthebadge.org.