‘Be the Match’ Bone Marrow Drive on Sept. 3rd Supports Local Surgeon

Singing River Health System (S.R.H.S.) will be hosting a “Be the Match” bone marrow donor drive on Sept. 3rd at both Ocean Springs Hospital and Singing River Hospital. This drive is in support of Dr. Jeremy Simpler, a general surgeon with S.R.H.S. and South Mississippi Surgeons who works closely with the Health System.

Simpler was diagnosed with leukemia approximately a month ago and family and friends have been hosting drives for him in hopes to find a match for him and others. They are also selling T-shirts to raise funds for the Be the Match Foundation to support the cost of testing needed to find a match.

The “Be the Match” drive is as simple as providing some information and a cheek swab to be submitted to a national database so that people have a chance to be a match to anyone needing a bone marrow transplant.

The Singing River Hospital operating room team is working hard to promote the drive and hoping that the drive will be able to find a match for Simpler because he is a part of their family and a part of the surgery team.

“At Singing River Health System we work together as a team,” said Patricia Taylor, surgical technologist. “He is a part of our team and we are all about helping one another.”

Taylor said that Simpler treats everyone in the operating room like they are a part of his family, and that working with him is a pleasure and a joy. She said that, around the operating room, he is known as “Simply the best.” By registering to be a donor, Taylor said that you could be responsible for “helping to prolong someone’s life.”

“It’s a way to be a blessing to others,” she said.

The drive will be held on Sept. 3rd from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. outside the cafeterias at Ocean Springs Hospital (first floor) and Singing River Hospital (ground floor). The screening itself only takes a few minutes but there is some paperwork to be filled out. Those who want to fill the paperwork out early can call the OR at 228-809-5468 and prevent having to wait on the day of the screening.

Find more information on Dr. Simpler’s treatment, find Simpler’s Supporters on Facebook at facebook.com/Simplerssupporters.