Love Your Melon, DKMS joins forces to fight childhood cancer

Vandy Manyeh
Staff Writer

Around the globe, September has been set aside as a month to celebrate the youngest victims of cancer.

One campus organization has been doing that all month long. MNSU Love Your Melon Campus Crew — the Minnesota State University, Mankato chapter of Minneapolis-based apparel brand company Love Your Melon — will end the month with a bang.

Joining forces with an international non-profit, DKMS, the crew will host a bone marrow donation drive on Saturday at WYSIWYG Juice Company in Mankato. 

“The purpose of this event is for people to become educated about bone marrow donations, as well as blood cancer and to sign up to become a bone marrow donor if interested,” MNSU-LYM Crew Captain Courtney McSherry said. “Bone Cancer affects many children and adults. By possibly being a match to an individual, you can save a life which is so rewarding.”

DKMS boasts of more than one million registered bone marrow donors across the United States, according to the organization’s website. Donations are then used to “create a second chance at life” for victims of cancer. 

Since Sept. 1, the MNSU-LYM crew has been going gold. By “Going Gold,” the crew is raising money and awareness for childhood cancer.

“With the childhood cancer ribbon color being gold, our “Go Gold” campaign is spreading awareness and educating the community on the facts and figures of childhood cancer,” McSherry said. “The MNSU community can participate in the campaign by stopping by one of our tabling event in the CSU and picking up a gold ribbon pin.”

Over 15,000 children are diagnosed with pediatric cancer in the United States each year, making cancer the number one cause of death by disease among children, according to the National Pediatric Cancer Foundation.

Since coming to campus in 2014, MNSU-LYM has sold hundreds of hats. Fifty percent of the profit is used to purchase hats for children that are battling cancer. At a recent event, the crew provided dinner for families at a few Ronald McDonald houses around Minnesota. Tie blankets, LYM beanies and other items have been donated to children in cancer units across the state.

Follow MSULYMCrew on Facebook and Instagram if you’re interested in following the activities of your local LYM crew.

Header photo courtesy of MNSULYM Crew’s Facebook page.