A LAMB OF GOD fan who registered for the Be The Match bone marrow registry campaign after listening to the band's "The Duke" EP has become a match with a 65-year-old leukemia patient. Released in December 2016, "The Duke"'s title track was inspired by the plight of a LAMB OF GOD fan named Wayne Ford, who was diagnosed with leukemia in 2010 and died five years later at the age of 33. As part of the EP's release, LAMB OF GOD teamed up with the nonprofit Be The Match, the national marrow donor registry which doctors search every day looking for matches for their patients, to bring awareness to the need for bone marrow donors. Earlier today, Blythe took to his Instagram to share the story of Todd Seaman, a LAMB OF GOD fan from Arkansas who registered with the campaign five years ago after listening to "The Duke". He wrote: "In 2016 @LambOfGod released a song 'The Duke' I wrote in honor of Wayne Ford, a fan who died of leukemia. With the release we had an awareness campaign for @bethematch, a free bone marrow registry that matches donors with blood cancer patients. 5 years ago, a LAMB OF GOD fan from the great state of Arkansas named Todd Seaman (@tseams) registered w/ @bethematch after hearing 'The Duke'. 9 months ago he received an email saying he had matched with a 65 year old male leukemia patient here in VA. "2 days ago, Todd & his Dad Scott flew into DC, & I drove up to meet them. We went into the city & I showed them the sights- we walked 11 miles, from the Capitol to the Lincoln Memorial to the White House, then had a nice dinner. There was a great & peaceful holiday feeling in the air. Yesterday morning, we got up at 6 am & I drove them to a clinic. Todd wore his best Big Lebowski socks, got hooked up to a machine for 4 hours, & donated one bag of healthy stem cells & one bag of plasma. "As you read this, the leukemia patient is receiving Todd's donation. RIGHT THIS VERY SECOND, that man is receiving the best Christmas present ever- a 2nd chance at life. "To say that I am honored to have been a small part of this is a massive understatement. Yesterday Todd said 'Dude- LAMB OF GOD saved someone's life today'- I said 'No, YOU saved someone's life today. LAMB OF GOD just helped you a little.' "Thank you Todd, for letting us know that what we do matters. These were two of the greatest days of my life. "There is much sadness in the world right now. Many people feel powerless to make things better. But you are not- YOU HAVE AGENCY & the ability to help people. One way to do this is to register with @bethematch— it's painless & it's free. You can do this RIGHT THIS VERY SECOND- you might even save someone's life. I watched it happen yesterday with my own two eyes." For people with life-threatening blood cancers — like leukemia and lymphoma — or other diseases, a cure exists. Be The Match connects patients with their donor match for a life-saving marrow or umbilical cord blood transplant. People can contribute to the cure as a member of the Be The Match Registry, financial contributor or volunteer. Be The Match provides patients and their families one-on-one support, education, and guidance before, during and after transplant. Be The Match is operated by the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP), a nonprofit organization that matches patients with donors, educates health care professionals and conducts research through its research program, CIBMTR (Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research), so more lives can be saved. To learn more about the cure, visit BeTheMatch.org or call 1 (800) MARROW-2.
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