For
many children and adults who are diagnosed with leukemia, aplastic
anemia, or other fatal blood diseases, the only hope for survival
is a bone marrow or stem cell transplant.
Nearly 70% of these patients cannot find a suitably matched
donor in their family. They must rely on unrelated marrow donors (or
people who have volunteered to donate their bone marrow if ever matched
with a patient in need).
The
National
Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) is a network of donor
centers, transplant centers,
collection centers, and
recruitment groups.
By joining the Registry,
you have the potential to offer someone the miracle of life!
Points to Remember About Joining the NMDP
Registry
You
must be in good health, and between the ages of 18 and 60 years old.
To volunteer,
you must consent to be listed on the NMDP Registry, and then donate
a small sample of blood for tissue typing. There may be a small fee
to cover this initial blood test, depending on the availability of
funding at the local donor center. There are no other costs to the
unrelated volunteer donor.
Your
tissue type will be entered onto the NMDP's computerized registry,
which is searched on behalf of patients. If the computer indicates
you are a preliminary match for a patient, the donor center will contact
you with more information.
You
will be educated about the donation process and marrow transplantation,
and your options as a potential marrow donor. After being fully informed,
you decide whether to become a volunteer marrow donor. At each step
in the process, you are given the opportunity to continue or decline.
For more information:
1-800-234-2689
or 502-562-4586 Sharon Coke (sharonco@ulh.org)
Louisville KY
1-888-862-7769
or 216-509-5260 Barbara Nolan (bnolan@nmdp.org)
Cleveland Ohio
Copyright ©2007 Kentucky Blood Center
For
many children and adults who are diagnosed with leukemia, aplastic
anemia, or other fatal blood diseases, the only hope for survival
is a bone marrow or stem cell transplant. 
The