Marcus Smart Encouraging Donors To 'Get out There and Help' After Losing Mom and Brother to Cancer
Smart, a star point guard with the Boston Celtics, says losing his mom and brother "puts some fire in your heart" to get people to sign up to be stem cell donors
Sep 30, 2022 10:00 AM ET
Campaign:
Aflac Insights
Originally published on People
Marcus Smart knows the pain of losing family members to cancer. That's why the Boston Celtics point guard is making it his mission to change the system.
Smart, 28, has teamed up with Be the Match and Aflac to raise awareness about the need for more diverse donors on the Be The Match Registry, the world's largest listing of potential marrow donors and donated cord blood units. While 75 types of diseases can be treated with a blood stem cell transplant, only 29% of patients that are Black or African American will find a match, since people are more likely to match with someone of the same race or ethnicity. It's a stark disparity compared to white patients, who have a 79% chance.
