Marrow Donor Program 
Marrow Donor Program is an affiliate of the National Marrow Donor Program and serves as the local recruitment center for the national registry.
was actually a pioneer in the field of matching unrelated marrow donors and recipients several years before the creation of a national registry. ’s first transplant with marrow from a donor unrelated to a patient was performed in 1981. provided the National Marrow Donor Program’s very first marrow donation on December 15, 1987. The donor was from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The patient came from Raleigh, North Carolina, and the transplant was performed at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle.
Since 1981, over 400 transplants have been facilitated by . Wisconsin donors have provided marrow to patients in 40 states and 14 countries.
Why Register to Donate Bone Marrow?
Every year, thousands of adults and children need bone marrow transplants - a procedure that may be their only chance for survival. Although some patients with aplastic anemia, leukemia or other cancers have a genetically matched family member who can donate, about 70% do not. These patients' lives depend on finding an unrelated individual with a compatible tissue type, often within their own ethnic group, who is willing to donate marrow.
The National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) has facilitated more than 25,000 unrelated bone marrow transplants and has over 6,00,000 marrow donors on the registry. has more than 54,000 volunteer donors on the local registry. Still, there is a critical need for more volunteer donors.
Many patients, especially people of color, cannot find a compatible donor among those on the registry. Patients and donors must have matching tissue types, and these matches are found most often between people of the same ethnic group. A large, ethnically diverse group of prospective donors offers patients a better chance for a match, and for survival.
Steps Involved in Registering:
- Completing a brief registration form with contact information, health history questions, and a signed agreement to join the Registry.
- Pay for tissue typing cost, if any. Frequently, a sponsor or company pays for tissue typing.
- Give a swab of cheek cells sample so your tissue type can be tested.
Eligibility
Donors can join the NMDP Registry if they are between 18-60 years old, in good health and meet NMDP donor eligibility guidelines. For questions about donor eligibility, contact at (414) 937-6388 or 1-866-702-HOPE (866-702-4673).
Steps to Donating Marrow
- If you match the tissue type of a patient seeking a donor, additional testing will be performed to confirm the results. You will meet with marrow donor counselors at who will help you make an informed decision about whether or not to donate marrow.
- The marrow collection process usually does not require an overnight stay in the hospital. The procedure itself is painless, because it is performed under anesthesia. But, for an average of 2 weeks following the procedure, most donors experience sore hips and some must restrict their activities. Most donors report that donating marrow is a very positive experience. Many marrow donors are willing to donate again in the future.
- The donated marrow is transfused to the patient, whose cells have been destroyed by intensive chemotherapy or disease. In time, the donated marrow engrafts and begins producing healthy blood cells in the patient.
Why are More People of Color Needed?
Because patients are most likely to find a compatible donor within their own ethnic group, a diverse group of potential donors is needed. Over 5 million volunteers have joined the national registry, but only a small percentage are people of color.
| Ethnic Groups on the National Registry |
Percentage |
| African American |
7.6% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander |
7.0% |
| Hispanic |
5.4% |
| Native American |
1.1% |
| Other |
26% |
| Caucasian |
51% |
Your gift of marrow can mean the gift of life for someone else.
