FORMER OHIO STATE STAR MIKE CONLEY HELPING RAISE AWARENESS FOR BONE MARROW DONATION
Memphis Grizzlies point guard and soon-to-be Ohio State Hall of Famer Mike Conley knows as a professional athlete, he has a voice.
He’s never been shy about using it, either.
That’s why when Conley was approached by Be The Match — the world’s largest and most diverse donor registry which connects patients with a donor match — about an opportunity to form a partnership, the former Buckeyes’ great saw it as an opportunity he couldn’t pass up.
“Bone marrow is a way of donating and it can help save lives and people just don’t really know or aren’t aware,” Conley said. “That’s what we’re trying to get people to realize.”
For Conley, the decision to get involved was easy.
Be The Match has over 16 million registered members. However, only 5 percent of those identify as African American. Conley wanted to help raise awareness, so he partnered with Be The Match to spearhead its Heritage Holds The Cure campaign.
Conley has two cousins who have sickle cell disease — an inherited group of red blood cell disorders — so he wanted to try and do anything he could to get involved and help not only his family but others affected as well.
“It does specifically hit closer to home because I’ve seen it,” Conley said. “Not understanding as much about it when I was younger really hurts me a lot. As a kid, all you worried about was playing outside and doing different things and you’re wondering why your cousins aren’t doing the same things or why they have to be inside or at the hospital, whatever it may be."
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