Bone Marrow: Revisited

 Did you know that for many people with blood cancers, a bone marrow transplant is one of the only routes to a cure? In 2012, shortly after I turned 18, I signed up to donate bone marrow, should I match with someone. The National Bone Marrow Registry, set up by the nonprofit Be the Match, takes saliva samples from people around the country, analyzes them, and stores that profile in a database that doctors can search through for bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) donation.

Many diseases, including leukemia, lymphoma, diseases of the bone marrow, and certain immune and metabolic disorders (x). Blood stem cells from a healthy donor are needed to treat or cure these diseases. We often hear of family members donating, but up to 70% of patients don't have a family member who matches (x).

Joining the registry is free and easy. This page walks you through how you can sign up to save a life.


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