Celebrating National Marrow Awareness Month (Part 2 of 3)

Part 2 – Raise the Bar  

(to read part 1 of this 3 part series, click here)

Part of this month’s awareness campaign is re-education about common misconceptions regarding marrow donation and the transplantation procedures.  The fact is, 70% of patients are unable to find a suitable bone marrow match among their relatives.  Add the complicated family histories and genetic markers to the mix and minority groups have an especially difficult time finding a 100% bone marrow match, even with the help of large bone marrow donor registries.

Be the Match is a crucial link in this chain for the patients who require a match outside the family, and Ical da Silva is the largest recruiter of potential bone marrow donors to their registry.  Without these type of registries, finding a match may seem an insurmountable task for a family already under enormous strain with the illness of a loved one.  Additionally, registering as a potential donor is a simple, painless process.  A cheek swab places you in the pool of potential bone marrow or stem cell donors. Visit Be The Match Registry to start the registration process.

Even though donor registration is an easy step, there is still an immense number of patients around the world looking for bone marrow donation.  November is your chance to find out more about it and take a small step towards getting involved.  It is a wonderful gift to be able to offer a second chance to another living soul, especially when the odds of survival are set against them.  Finding a perfect match for a bone marrow transplant is incredibly difficult for people from minority groups, or with complicated heritage.