Texas State honored with National Marrow Donor Program award

By Alec Jennings
University News Service
September 11, 2009

Through volunteers' efforts in registering bone marrow donors, Texas State University-San Marcos has been selected to earn the 2009 National Marrow Donor Program Collegiate Award.

Texas State was awarded in large part for its efforts to register 3,240 donors, which included faculty and staff, but was primarily made up of students. It is the largest number of donors ever registered by a college or university in a two-year period. 

Lawrence Estaville, professor of geography and Texas State Cancer Awareness Month and Community Outreach (CAMCO) committee coordinator, gave credit for the award to the efforts of university faculty, staff and students, and said that enthusiasm to find marrow donors is continuing.

"The amazing enthusiasm of Texas State students, staff, and faculty in working for the Texas State CAMCO in April 2008 and 2009 – months in which the campus marrow donor drives were undertaken – was a critical factor in Texas State gaining this honor," Estaville said.  "In fact, with incredible odds, 43 students have already matched with people who need a marrow transplant to stay alive.  Three students have completed the careful procedure to move forward with a marrow donation and another student already donated last June marrow stem cells to save the life of a two-year old girl with leukemia."

Estaville will represent Texas State alongside Angelika Wahl, chair of the Texas State Staff Council and co-chair of the 2008 and 2009 Texas State CAMCO, to accept the award at the National Marrow Donors Program award ceremony on Nov. 6 in Minneapolis, Minn.