Register To Be a Bone Marrow Doner

During the month of January American Express is donating the $100 fee to cover the costs of registration to the bone marrow registry.  You can help patients with blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma, sickle cell and other life-threatening diseases. Donors who are between the ages of 18 and 44 are especially needed because younger donors produce more and higher-quality cells than older donors. (But they will gladly accept older donors - they accepted me)!

The process is really easy: You provide the online information about yourself (super simple). Once that is submitted, they will send you a packet in the mail that includes a cotton swab. All you do is take the cheek swab and send back in. Your information will go into the registry, which is available for doctors to review.  Here's some general information about the process:

PBSC donation is a nonsurgical procedure that takes place at a blood center or outpatient hospital unit. For 5 days leading up to donation, you will be given injections of a drug called filgrastim to increase the number of blood-forming cells in your bloodstream. Your blood is then removed through a needle in one arm and passed through a machine that separates out the blood-forming cells. The remaining blood is returned to you through the other arm. Your blood-forming cells are back to their normal levels within 4 to 6 weeks. To learn more, watch the PBSC donation video.

Marrow donation is a surgical outpatient procedure that takes place at a hospital. You will receive anesthesia and feel no pain during the donation. Doctors use a needle to withdraw liquid marrow from the back of your pelvic bone. The marrow replaces itself completely within 4 to 6 weeks. To learn more, watch the marrow donation video.

You are under no obligation to actually donate if you are contacted. If you change your mind, then you don't have to do this (you will also attend an information session and have a full medical exam prior to your commitment).  I know this isn'tfor everyone but I feel it's an important cause that you should at least consider.  I can only speak for myself but if I can help someone, I am very much open to that.

Here's the American Express registration link:  Marrow Registry