Blood Cancer Awareness Month will be observed in Central California beginning this week as the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society Turn It Red campaign lights up landmarks across the nation, including the Shehadey Tower at the Save Mart Center at Fresno State.

At 5 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 13, representatives of the LLS, Central California Blood Center, Save Mart Center and Fresno State will meet at the tower located at Shaw and Chestnut avenues, where they will kick off the month-long observance that raises awareness for blood cancer. The public is invited to attend the free event.

Fresno State’s first blood drive and marrow registry events of the academic year will be Sept. 13 through 15 at three campus locations.

For the Blood Cancer Awareness Month national campaign, several iconic national landmarks are being lit up to raise awareness, such as Niagara Falls in New York, the Seattle Great Wheel and towers and bridges like Peace Bridge on the border of New York and Canada.

California landmarks include the LAX Pylons at the Los Angeles International Airport, the U.S. Bank Tower on Capital Mall in Sacramento and 1 Market Street in San Francisco. (See full landmarks updated list at http://www.lymphoma.org/site/pp.asp?c=bkLTKaOQLmK8E&b=8342981).

Debbie Truhett, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society executive director, said that despite progress, much work still needs to be done to save more lives. More than 1.2 million people in the U.S. are living with or in remission for a blood cancer.

“Leukemia causes more deaths than any other cancer among children, adolescents and young adults younger than 20 years,” Truhett said, adding that leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma are expected to cause the deaths of an estimated 58,320 people in the U.S. in 2016.

“We’re thrilled that one of Fresno’s most well-known and symbolic buildings is turning it red for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. We remind everyone that while breakthrough therapies are saving lives, work still needs to be done to find a cure — not someday, but today.”

On campus, a marrow registry drive is led by Be the Match chapter at Fresno State spearheaded by Tosha Giuffrida, director of the University’s Learning Center.

The student group will conduct marrow registry events in conjunction with three campus blood drives coordinated by the Jan and Bud Richter Center for Community Engagement and Service-Learning this week:

  • Tuesday, Sept. 13 from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the University Courtyard (resident halls)
  • Wednesday and Thursday, Sept. 14 to 15 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with Central California Blood Center Bloodmobiles parked near the University Student Union and the Maple Mall.

“The student organization works directly with the national Be the Match organization to educate students about blood cancers and joining the marrow registry,” Giuffrida said.

The Be the Match campaign is seeking donors from diverse backgrounds and is currently in need of Hispanic and African-American donors, she said.

“We decided to bring Be the Match to Fresno State because of its diverse student population,” Giuffrida said. “Donors and patients who share similar ancestries are more likely to match.”

For more information about Fresno State’s Turn It Red event or the student chapter, contact Giuffrida at 559.278.5716 or tgiuffrida@csufresno.edu. For the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and its national campaign, contact Korina Mendoza at 559.490.6943 or korina.mendoza@lls.org.

For the Fresno State blood drives, contact Taylan Bennett at 559.278.7063 or tbennett@csufresno.edu.

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