Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Miracle Workers Wanted

I'm alive today because two mothers donated their baby's umbilical cords to a blood bank. More than 3000 people a year are given a chance to survive blood cancer because ordinary people have registered to be bone marrow or stem cell donors.

Here's your chance to be a hero. The National Marrow Donor Program is sponsoring its annual "Thanks Mom Marrow Donor Drive." Healthy people between the ages of 18-60 are eligible to register with the Program. All you need to do is fill out a form, receive a tissue typing kit, swab the inside of your mouth, and send it back to the Registry. Join the Registry during the Thanks Mom Drive May 5-16, and you can register for free. Your selfless act could save someone's life.

Donating bone marrow is not painful and has minimal risks. Most transplants these days use peripheral blood stem cells, not bone marrow. This involves receiving several injections to stimulate stem cell production, and then donating your cells through apheresis, a process similar to traditional blood donation. If you are pregnant or know someone who is, consider donating the baby's umbilical cord, which otherwise gets tossed in the trash. The NMDP Registry explains how to do this.

Be part of a miracle. Register with the NMDP today.

1 comment:

Jim said...

Patty,

I blogged about this, too, then read your blog and saw you did the same. I linked your eloquent take on Run for Dori. Cheers for raising awareness.

Jim