Watch CBS News

Floyd's 99 Barbershop Hosts Bone Marrow Registry Drive

By Joel Hillan

DENVER (CBS4)- Floyd's 99 Barbershop started in Denver in 1999 off Broadway and 10th. Now the company has 110 locations in 12 states. Saturday they came together for Coloradans with blood cancer.

April Anderson is the manager of the Floyd's 99 Barbershop off Colfax Avenue and York Street in Denver; she spent the busy day asking customers if they might be willing to join the bone marrow registry.

Bone Marrow Drive RG 01 TITLE07444 concatenated 115414_frame_27864
April Anderson (credit: CBS)

"It's nice that people are willing to do it," she said.

Adding that she knows that while the process of registering isn't painful, the actual donation can be.

Bone Marrow Drive RG 01 TITLE07444 concatenated 115414_frame_8033
(credit: CBS)

She feels a sense of pride, too, that the company she works for is so willing to help others.

"It's kind of cool that we can give back to people who have helped us out of the past 17 years we've been open," she said.

Bone Marrow Drive RG 01 TITLE07444 concatenated 115414_frame_7443
April Anderson (credit: CBS)

SHARE YOUR STORY: Share A Together 4 Colorado Story Idea With CBS4

Malcolm Mulroney arrived for a haircut and decided to join the registry while he waited for his barber to become available.

Bone Marrow Drive RG 01 TITLE07444 concatenated 115414_frame_23008
(credit: CBS)

"I try to donate when I can, blood, I've never done bone marrow before and this seemed like a great opportunity," he said.

In just a couple of minutes, Mulroney had filled out the form and completed the swab.

"It's easy to do, it doesn't take anything away from you and if you're a match you can save someone's life," he said.

Bone Marrow Drive RG 01 TITLE07444 concatenated 115414_frame_977
(credit: CBS)

Thousands of people struggling with blood cancers like leukemia or lymphoma need a bone marrow transplant to survive.

Although the bone marrow registry has millions of people on it, patients can have a difficult time finding a match. Events like this help increase those chances of a match.

LINK: Floyd's 99 Barbershop: Delete Blood Cancer

Joel Hillan anchors CBS4 This Morning on weekends as well as reports stories for CBS4 News at 5 and 6 p.m. Follow Joel on Twitter @joelhillan.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.