U of I student organization “Mixed” today gave students the opportunity to become a bone marrow donor at the Illini Union today. People interested in possibly donating take swabs of their mouth to determine their marrow type and then become members of a national registry until age 61. Community Blood Services Donor Relations Coordinator Lisa Wright says finding a match may or may not happen.

“It could be hit or miss if you’re in the registry. You could match somebody in three months, two years, or never. You’re about one in 400 thousand people.”

Community Blood Services of Illinois is looking particularly for donors of mixed ethnicities since caucasian donors are more likely to have duplicate types. Donated bone marrow is most commonly used for lymphoma, leukemia, and anemia.