ST. LOUIS, Mo., October 29, 2024 - The St. Louis Cardinals and the St. Louis Baseball Writers have teamed up to host the 9th annual #Join4Joe blood stem cell donor drive virtually during the month of November in celebration of National Marrow Awareness Month to add individuals to the NMDP Registry.

The event was organized to honor the legacy of Joe Strauss, who covered the Cardinals for 14 years at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and passed away in December 2015 at the age of 54 after a courageous battle fighting leukemia. The St. Louis Cardinals have agreed to annually partner with the St. Louis Baseball Writers and NMDP, formerly Be The Match, to sponsor this event in Joe’s name.

“We are grateful to the Cardinals and the St. Louis Baseball Writers for bringing awareness to this important cause that is so close to our hearts,” said Alexis Strauss, Joe’s daughter. “Growing the national registry increases the chances of finding a donor match for patients awaiting a life-saving transplant.”

The goal of the annual drive is to help others battling leukemia and other blood cancers by engaging with fans to join the registry and to spread awareness about blood stem cell and marrow donation. The need for donors is great. Every three minutes, someone is diagnosed with blood cancer, and only 30% of patients have a fully matched donor in their family. Donors are most likely to match patients who share their ethnic background, so it is important to increase diversity on the registry. Only 40% of potential donors on the registry are ethnically diverse. Individuals between the ages of 18-40 can join the registry starting with a brief health history and cheek swab. Research shows that cells from younger donors lead to better patient outcomes post-transplant, and 80% of the time doctors request donors under the age of 35.

Fans can visit cardinals.com/join4joe to learn more about blood stem cell and marrow donation and join the NMDP Registry.