Surrounded by his family, Lampeter-Strasburg High School (LSHS) alumnus Ryan Smith, 21, passed away on March 22, concluding his battle with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Smith was a basketball standout at LSHS and earned Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 2 MVP honors his senior year. He went on to play basketball at East Stroudsburg University, where he averaged 16.9 points and eight rebounds per game as a freshman. The Warriors made it to the PSAC semifinals and the NCAA Division II tournament in 2018-19. He was also named PSAC East Freshman of the Year and was recognized as a second-team All-PSAC East pick.

On Saturday, May 22, there will be an event to add more people to the National Bone Marrow Registry in honor of Smith. People must be between the ages of 18 and 44 to join the registry. There will be two opportunities to participate. From 9 to 11 a.m., there will be a Be The Match table at the Lampeter-Strasburg YMCA, 800 Village Road, Lancaster, and from noon to 4 p.m., there will be a drive-up event in the LSHS school parking lot, 1600 Book Road, Lancaster.

"Ryan was the best kind of person to be around," stated friend and classmate Cameron Niemeyer. "He was selfless, motivating, and had a perspective on life that anyone could learn from. My mom and I decided we wanted to do something that can help people going through what Ryan did. With the blessing of Ryan's parents, we are excited to hold the event in Ryan's honor."

Participants must bring their cellphones to complete the digital registration process. A cheek swab test will be self-administered. Anyone who is interested in joining the registry but unable is to attend the event may text "RELENTLESS" to 61474 to have a swab kit mailed to them.

"This event will be so special because everyone will be honoring and remembering Ryan, but they will also be giving hope to another family," said Bree Peltier-Amborn, community engagement specialist for the Icla da Silva Foundation Inc. Peltier-Amborn emphasized that there is a need for increasing diversity in the National Bone Marrow Registry. If a patient is white, they have a 77% chance of finding a genetically matched donor, whereas a patient who is a person of color has a 23% chance.

For more information, contact Peltier-Amborn at breanna@icla.org.