MSU Athletics Assists Murphy Family’s Search For Bone Marrow Donor

STARKVILLE, Miss. (WCBI) — MSU safety Marcus Murphy’s son Mason is still in search for a bone marrow donor and Mississippi State Athletics is working to find him one.

A sign that said “you could be someone’s only genectic match,” greeted bulldog fans entering into the humphrey colliseum for some weekend basketball.

“Be The Match is the national bone marrow registry. So we exist to help patients that have a blood cancer or immune disorder and we connect those patients with donors who are willing to donate their life-saving stem cells,” Be The Match Representative Rachel Harris said.

One of those patients being Mason Murphy. A member of the Mississippi State family.

The Bulldogs have teamed up with Be The Match to raise awareness and hopefully find Mason and others a donor.

“Coach Moorhead rallied up an entire troop of folks to have more awareness with be the match and i know a lot of folks entered the registry then last year so we want to do a follow-up now and actually have be the match on-site to hopefully rally some support and get some more entries into the registration,” executive senior associate athletic director Leah Beasley said.

Registering to be a donor is also easier than it seems even if it’s not done in person.

All it takes is a simple text message you can text right here to statesaves at 61474 to join and it’s a five minute process that could potentially save someone’s life.

“A cancer like this where all you need is someone to donate bone marrow and they’re cured it’s just..it’s amazing,” two-time donor and MSU student Anna Hubbell said. “We just need to find someone to donate and they’re out there somewhere.”

“The Bulldogs are a family and so that’s one thing that does not surprise any of us is the reaction that our family has shown Marcus and his son Mason and Alicia, the mom,” Beasley said. “So its been pretty cool to see Bulldog nation really rally around them.”

“There are patients all over the country just like him and so that’s why we just encourage everyone to join,” Harris said. “You just never know what you may have in you that’s going to help someone else.”

In order to sign-up you must be at least eighteen years old.

Once registered you will receive a cotton swab kit to send back with your DNA and if selected as a match for someone all expenses are covered.

You can learn more at bethematch.org and on HailState.com.