Dan McKeen gave a little bit of blood Saturday in hopes of someday giving something much more: a second chance at life.

"It's a great cause; it's a chance to actually cure someone," McKeen (sophomore-industrial engineering) said.

Saturday's Marrow-Thon, a bone marrow drive co-hosted by the Interfraternity Council/Panhellenic Dance Marathon and an organization called Amy's Army, attracted 451 community members and students like McKeen who were added to the National Bone Marrow Registry.

Amy's Army, a Pittsburgh-based organization, is searching for a bone marrow match for 12-year-old leukemia patient Amy Katz and patients like her. When a person is added to the registry, it increases the chances of finding an exact match for patients.

Lisa Katz, Amy's mother, said she began Amy's Army shortly after her daughter's diagnosis in 2003. While it can be difficult to match the bone marrow types of two people successfully, a bone marrow transplant is currently the only cure for leukemia.

As she warmly greeted passersby, Lisa Katz said Amy's Army has registered more than 6,000 people through marrow drives, two of which have been successfully matched. "There are matches out there, but it's literally like finding a needle in a haystack," she said.

McKeen, a member of the Penn State ACHA Division I Icers, said he heard about the drive from one of his teammates.

Lisa Katz said that to register, individuals give a small vial of blood and a brief medical background for registry records. No bone marrow is taken on-site during the drive, but donors who match will be contacted to potentially donate marrow.

Chris Schubert (senior-hotel, restaurant and institutional management) said that if he were a match, the cause is worth going through the donation process. "Any individual could be the match that a patient is waiting for," Schubert said.

Lisa Katz said donation procedures are not risky, and recovery takes between a few days to a few weeks. She added that the procedure is relatively painless. "Afterward, your back is a little sore," she said. "It's been described as the amount of soreness you would get from falling down on the ice."

Mike Katz, Amy's father, said Amy is taking Gleevec, a drug specifically made for her type of leukemia. "Gleevec is a miracle drug because it kills the bad things without harming the good things, although it is not a cure," he said.

Amy Katz was at home during the drive and is doing well. Though her cancer is in remission, she is suffering from severe muscle and bone pain.

Lisa Katz said she expected about 500 people to turn out, but she would not have been disappointed if there were only 50 registered. She said the hope lies in the individual.

"It only takes one, and I don't know if that 'one' is him or her or the next person," she said.

Lisa Katz said each year 30,000 patients need a transplant, and in the registry's 18 years, only 20,000 patients have been matched.

Thon Overall Chair Seth Moser said Thon committee members jumped at the chance to co-host the marrow drive.

"For as long as I can remember, Thon has been talking about having a bone marrow drive," Moser said. "By putting people in the bone marrow registry, we're taking an active step toward curing pediatric cancers."

McKeen said that if he were called to be a donor, he would definitely do it because it's a great opportunity.