Bone marrow drive to honor Culbreath

“A lot of his friends were concerned about how they could potentially help him and how they could show their support during his struggle,” Alev explained. “I wanted to do whatever I could to show support for a fellow classmate who was going through such a difficult time.”

Alev and Emily Tiernan ’10 have been working with the registry and the Princeton Varsity Club to plan and publicize the marrow drive, which will take place next Tuesday.

“Princeton Varsity Club has been awesome in terms of getting the word out,” Alev said. “We’re just focusing on making sure that everybody knows about the drive and is willing to come out to save a life.”

“It means so much to me that all of these people are willing to go out of their way to support me,” Culbreath said, “but it is so important to realize that this drive is about more than just me … It’s about raising awareness for bone marrow donation in general and doing everything we can to increase the size of the registry. I think this is the best way for people not only to support me, but to support a lot of other people in need.”

At the drive, students will fill out paperwork provide cheek swab samples in order to register for the National Bone Marrow Registry. The samples will then be analyzed to determine whether they could provide a match for Culbreath or any other registered patient in need.

“Signing up for the bone marrow registry is an incredibly easy and painless thing to do, and, apart from helping one of our own, it also has the potential to help thousands of patients around the world who do not currently have a match,” Alev said.

Alev said she hopes the event will have a large turnout “since everyone can relate to a fellow student.”

“It’s hard to show people the importance when they haven’t been directly affected,” Culbreath explained. “It’s a terrible thing when someone loses their life or doesn’t get the best treatment simply because they do not have a match in the registry, but that’s the reality.”

Phoebe Champion ’10 said she plans to attend the drive and sign up for the national registry. “If I’d do it for a friend, why not for anyone else who needs it just as much?” she explained.

As one of many patients in need of a transplant, Culbreath said he appreciates the effort of those involved. “I couldn’t have asked for more support,” Culbreath added. “People from my hometown, from Princeton and from around the Ivy League have given me more support than I could’ve imagined. Many people that I have yet to meet have reached out to me, and that means so much.”