Are you a registered bone marrow or stem cell donor? If not, you may want to consider signing up. You could save a life!
Disclaimer: I am the president of Be the Match at GW, so I may be biased, but I truly believe that joining the Be The Match Registry is one of the greatest things you can do. So let me try to convince you why you should sign up.
1. You could save the life of someone with a blood cancer, like Leukemia or Lymphoma, or one of a number of other diseases which can only be cured by marrow or stem cell donation, like Adrenoleukodystrophy, the disease which took my dad’s life.
2. Your chances of actually getting called are slim. Only around 1 in 430 Registry members ever get called upon to donate.
3. If you are called upon to donate, the process is easier and less painful than you may think. First of all, the vast majority of transplants nowadays require only peripheral blood cell (PBSC) donation rather than bone marrow donation. PBSC donation involves removing a donor’s blood through a needle in one arm, passing the donor’s blood passed through a machine that separates out the cells used in transplants, then returning to remaining blood to the donor though his or her other arm. If a donor is called upon to donate bone marrow, a surgical procedure is required in which liquid marrow is withdrawn from the back of the donor’s pelvic bones via needles. The donor is placed under anesthesia so her or she does not experience pain during the procedure. Most donors do, however, feel some pain in their lower back for a few days afterwards.
4. College students are particularly in demand as donors, as research has shown that cells from younger donors lead to more successful transplants. If you are a minority, we need you even more, as tissue types used in matching are inherited. Therefore, a marrow recipient typically requires a donor of the same ethnic ancestry or ethnic background.
5. Finally, it only takes a few minutes to sign up to join the Be The Match Registry. We will ask you a series of questions which include a brief medical history and contact information. Then you will be asked to swab the inside of your cheeks to be tissue-typed. And that’s it!
If you are interested in joining the Registry or would like to learn more, or even make a financial donation instead, please come out and talk to us at our next drive, which is being held on Friday, December 8th from 11 a.m to 3 p.m. in District House Level 1. You can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram @BTMOCGWU.