Sometimes, saving a life begins with something as simple as a cheek swab.
During a one-day Cheek Week activation at Texas Children’s in partnership with the NMDP (formerly Be The Match), team members paused for just 5–7 minutes to take the small step of registering for the bone marrow and blood stem cell donor registry and offering hope to patients in need of life-saving transplants.
Cheek Week began at Texas Children’s in 2020 with a clear purpose: to increase diversity among donors. For patients searching for a perfect match, race and ethnicity matter, and the more diverse the registry, the better the chances of finding that one life-saving connection.
In a single day, 16 new donors joined the registry. Each name added expands the possibilities for patients waiting for a match.
The group reflected the diversity that makes this effort so powerful:
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18.8% Asian
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6.3% Asian or Pacific Islander including Hawaiian
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18.8% Black or African American
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18.8% Hispanic/Latino
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6.3% Multiple Race
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6.3% White
These 16 donors didn’t stand alone; they became part of something much larger. Since Cheek Week began, 671 people have joined the donor registry at our hospital, creating a growing, diverse pool of hope for patients and families.
The overall donor makeup includes:
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0.4% American Indian or Alaska Native
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2.2% Asian
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10.0% Asian or Pacific Islander including Hawaiian
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16.4% Black or African American
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27.9% Hispanic
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4.9% Multiple Race
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34.0% White
Our ongoing partnership with the NMDP proves that life-saving change doesn’t always come from large crowds or grand gestures. Sometimes, it starts with 16 people, one day, and a simple cheek swab that could mean everything to someone waiting for a second chance at life.
Learn how you can join the donor registry today: https://my.nmdp.org/s/join?language=en_US&joinCode=TCH&refUrl=ENDREFURL