Be the Match Marrowthon

I've written before that bone marrow transplant is a subject that's near and dear to my heart. Thousands of people each year are thrust in the unfortunate position of needing a transplant due to leukemia, lymphoma, genetic disorders, etc. In about 70% of those cases, there isn't a suitable match within the family. Imagine how scary it must be to be that potential recipient, hoping that there's a match in the national database & the relief they must feel if they're lucky and one is found. Every person who joins the registry as a potential donor increases that potential recipients odds that a suitable match can be made...

Every once in a while, the National Bone Marrow Program provides the opportunity for new participants to join the registry free of charge.* The current opportunity runs until Monday, June 22nd, while funding remains. Their hope is to add 46,000 new names to the registry during this Marrowthon.

The process of joining is easy:

1. Confirm your eligibity -- are you between the ages of 18-60 yrs old? in good health/meet the medical guidelines? live in the US? etc.


2. Complete the online form & a registration kit will be sent to you.


3. When you receive your kit, follow the instructions to do a cheek swab & send it back to them.

That's all there is to it -- quick, easy, painless & if you do steps 1 & 2 before June 22nd, it's also free!

*A question I often get asked is why isn't it always free? Bone marrow matching is based on number of factors. Bottom line is it takes $ to type each sample that comes in, so they can determine which of the potential donors would be a match for a specific person in need of a transplant. Funding has been provided for the Marrowthon, so the cost associated with typing any new registrant has been covered, but donations would gladly be accepted from those who are able so that the funding can be stretched further.

Bone Marrow Donor Drive

Back in May, I posted about the National Bone Marrow Donor program's waiving their usual registration fee as part of their Mother's Day event. Well, they are doing it again. Now through Sept 22nd, you have another chance to potentially save a life and it won't cost you a dime!!

No one randomly or whimsically decides, "Hey! I want to get a bone marrow transplant." These patients and their loved ones have been through other treatments and procedures with no luck or they wouldn't even be looking. For every person who becomes part of the National Bone Marrow Registry, the chance that those persons who need to can find a match becomes just a little bit more likely to happen.

I'm in the registry. Please consider joining me. Click here to get more information and/or sign up online.

Mother's Day Bone Marrow Donor Drive

Every year, thousands of people discover they need a bone marrow transplant. In about 70% of those cases, there won't be a match within the family, so they will need to look in the national registry to hopefully find a match. In fact, on any given day, there are approximately 6000 people searching the National Marrow Donor Program registry, hoping to find a match. Obviously, if more people were in that registry, the chance of them each finding that perfect match would go up.

In case you're wondering if I put my money where my mouth is, I joined the registry about 3 years ago when they did a registration drive at my old office. In my case, they did a simple finger stick & took about 4 drops of blood. Nowadays, you don't even have to do that much -- a simple cheek swab is all it'll take. No pain. No needles. (No excuses.)

In honor of Mother's Day, the National Marrow Donor Program is suspending the fees they usually charge for someone to become part of that registry. From May 5-19, 2008, sponsors/donors will pick up the tab for the first 46,000 people to join the registry, including the first 10,000 to register online; that's right, you can click on the link below, sign up & they'll send you the kit to do the cheek swab all by yourself in the safety/security of your own home. Can't get much more convenient than that, huh?

You can get more info on how to sign up online or get a list of places where you can register in-person by going here.

I think I'd be behind this effort no matter what, but will admit it is somewhat personal now. I mentioned in a previous post that my SO battled lymphoma last year. Had the chemo & radiation not worked at the time, or if the tumor comes back, he most likely will be looking at needing a bone marrow transplant. In his case, at least at this moment, he is a good candidate for a autologous donation, meaning he could be his own donor. However, not everyone is so lucky.

You never know when you might be able to help or what that help would mean. I signed up never imagining I might someday be sitting on the side where I or someone I love would need to find a donor. It would be great if everyone who ever had to be in that same situation had an excellent chance of finding a match. Let's see if we can make each one of their odds 46,000 potential donors better!

Here's the link again in case you missed it.


PS. Feel free to cross post this far & wide. The more exposure, the better!