With the multiracial community becoming one of the fastest growing demographics in North America, having a multiethnic ancestry is not just about identity, but a matter of saving other peoples’ lives. That’s the bold, yet essential declaration at the center of the acclaimed documentary Mixed Match, an important human story told from the perspective of mixed race blood cancer patients who are forced to reflect on their multiracial identities and complex genetics as they struggle with a seemingly impossible search to find marrow donors. The film explores the need to find mixed ancestry marrow and cord blood donors for stem cell transplants to save the lives of multiethnic patients suffering from life threatening blood diseases such as leukemia. Join The Whole U and UW and community expert panelists in exploring the role race plays in medicine and the essential need for multiethnic donors worldwide at a free screening of Mixed Match on November 5 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the HUB South Ballroom. This live action and animated film is a dramatic journey focusing on the main characters’ struggles to survive against incredible odds. The event will also feature a panel discussion with filmmaker Jeff Chiba Stearns, Alexes Harris (professor of sociology at the University of Washington who benefitted from a bone marrow transplant), and more! The University of Washington is proud to be a community supporter of Be the Match, an education, research and advocacy organization managing the world’s largest bone marrow registry. Research and treatment done in collaboration between the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the UW—including the first live marrow transplant—was integral to the establishment of the first bone marrow registry and we are excited to continue to serve in this life-saving mission. As the first institution to be a community supporter of Be the Match, the UW is proud to forward these traditions. |