Part 3 – Marrow Drives

(please click the links to read part 1, or part 2 of this 3 part series)

November’s Marrow Awareness Campaign encourages participants to spread both information and motivation wherever possible; and through whatever platforms become available.  Social media, fundraisers, community outreach and bone marrow drives are fantastic ways to stay involved in the details. Invite your friends to learn more and join the registry.  All channels raising awareness about the donation of bone marrow, blood stem cells and cord blood are valuable and encouraged.  It is all in the hope of saving many more lives around the world.

The opportunity to become a committed bone marrow donor has changed lives around the world.  It is not only the patient themselves who benefit, but also the donor as the realization hits about what is truly important in life.  One of bone marrow donation’s greatest proponents is a past donor whose entire perspective changed through the process of marrow donation.  Read about how Kala’s marrow donation brought her to where she is today.

Planning a bone marrow drive is not as complicated as it seems.  We are here to assist volunteers with a plan for successful drives in their communities.  All it takes is a bit of energy and heart.

Dare to Be Aware

Feeling inspired yet?  Why not try the following ideas and jump head long into National Marrow Awareness Month?

Register.

Find out more about becoming a registered bone marrow donor here.  It’s easy, painless and full of life-changing potential for you and your perfect match.

Host.

Be a mover and shaker in your local community.  Organize some fun and educational activities to build greater awareness around bone marrow donation and the donor registration process. Ask the Icla da Silva foundation how to set up a bone marrow drive in your community, workplace or school and go for it! Learn more here.

Share.

Tweet, post, blog, tag, hashtag, buzz and Instagram it!  The more you share on social media and other platforms, the more the public will hear about bone marrow donation.

Educate.

Word of mouth has always been one of the most effective ways to spread the news.  So chat to family, friends and the guy on the subway platform about it.

Give.

Babies are a wonderful gift to the world; and they can give a gift back to the world themselves through umbilical cord blood donation.  Tell every expectant mother and father you know about the opportunity they have to save a life this way.

Volunteer.

Give time and talent to bone marrow  organizations, registries, marrow drives and community education. Small acts of kindness and dedication are the building blocks for unshakable greatness. Learn more here.

Gift.

Financial donations are highly appreciated. Generosity really can change the world. Make a donation here.

Dive into the festive spirit with us this November as we celebrate National Marrow Awareness Month.

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.

Part 1 – Why Bone Marrow?

Our team here at the Icla da Silva Foundation is ready for another month of dedicated service to those around the world in crucial need of bone marrow transplants.   It’s November, National Bone Marrow Awareness month, and this is part one of a three part series.

Why Bone Marrow?

Bone marrow is soft tissue on the bone interior.  The stem cells it houses are an essential part of producing enough healthy red blood cells.  It is also crucial for the production of lymphocytes, which support the body’s immune system.  

There are countless diseases and chronic illnesses which require a bone marrow transplantation.  Blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma are the most common, but by no means the only reason a person may require new bone marrow. Sickle cell anemia sufferers and patients with similar life-threatening diseases also rely on marrow donation. For some, the bone marrow transplant is required before any underlying condition can effectively be treated.

Donor Registries

The Icla da Silva Foundation fully supports this month’s National Marrow Awareness Campaign.  The foundation’s mission is to encourage all healthy individuals between the ages of 18 and 44 to register as potential bone marrow donors.  About 1 in 430 potential donors will actually donate, so your commitment to donating for a patient in need is obviously important.  Even if a potential donor waits years to be called, registering puts one in the privileged position of saving the life of a fellow human being.  There is nothing more special or worthy in this world.

Icla da Silva is the largest recruitment center for the Be The Match registry.  We work in close collaboration with Be The Match, the most diverse bone marrow registry in the world.  It operates to serve people around the world in search of their perfect marrow match.  The larger the pool of potential donors, the greater chance each patient has of finding that vital match they need.

Join the Registry

You can join the registry and become a life saving donor by using the following link here.