Be The Match: Join the Marrow Registry
Thursday, June 11, 2009 13:48
Thousands of people hope to find their perfect match for a bone marrow transplant that could save their life. Right now, Be The Match RegistrySM (previously known as the National Marrow Donor Program) is running a Marrowthon until June 22, 2009. The goal of the Marrowthon is to add 46,000 new donors to the registry, and to raise funds to save lives.
During the Marrowthon, it is absolutely free to join the Be The Match RegistrySM. All you need to do is visit the Marrowthon webpage,confirm that you meet the basic eligibility requirements, fill out the online form, and wait for your kit to arrive. When you get your kit, you swab the inside of your cheek, and return the sample to Be The Match to be entered in their database.
It costs Be The Match FoundationSM about $100 to add a new potential donor to their database, so financial contributions are also welcome to help offset the costs of the Marrowthon, as well as to provide patient assistance.
I added myself to the registry last year. It was simple, and could truly make an enormous difference in someone else’s life!
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Tara Lindsay says:
June 12th, 2009 at 10:18 pm
You can use promo code “BTMLDET” (all caps) until June 22 to waive the usual registration fee. And I’d like to add…on any given day, there are 6000 patients searching the registry for an unrelated match, because they couldn’t find a match in their own families. I know that the prospect of matching and going through the donation process can be daunting to some people, but I promise…it is painless and easy to do. 8 years ago, I matched through the registry and over 10 months, donated three times for my recipient. It was painless, easy, and all I really had to do was show up and lay there. All three times, I was back to work chasing small children the very next day. Such a small, tiny thing to do as a donor…but it is everything to a family on the other end.
Kristie says:
June 12th, 2009 at 10:41 pm
Thanks for sharing that. It’s good to hear how easy the process was for you!