b) live in any of the following countries?
United States of America, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, New Zealand, Nigeria, North Macedonia, Norway, Paraguay, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Taiwan (R.O.C.), Thailand, The Netherlands, Turkey, Ukraine, United Kingdom, or Uruguay
If you answered yes to both of the above, then congratulations, you may be able to save the life of one of my close friends who has leukemia!
By signing up for the bone marrow donor registry at bethematch.org
(for outside of the US, use this link instead).
But wait, I hear you say – bone marrow donation? That sounds scary and complicated!
Not so – it’s incredibly easy to get added to the registry, and the process of donating if you match is easy and relatively painless as well.
When you sign up on the website, you will be asked a series of screener questions to determine whether you are disqualified from being in the registry due to age or health conditions. You will then be mailed a free testing kit in the mail. The test consists of a cheek swab, which you do and then mail back to the registry.
And… that’s it! That’s literally all you need to do to sign up!
If you match a patient in need, you will be contacted by the registry, and given the option to donate to that person. If you agree to donate, the process is similar to giving blood with a few extra steps: Prior to donation, you will receive a shot once a day for five days. This is to help your body produce more stem cells. During these days you may experience some symptoms like a mild cold. On the day of the donation, they will take the blood out of your vein like for a normal blood donation. Unlike a normal blood donation, however, the blood you donate will be run through a specialized machine to separate and collect the stem cells, and then the blood itself will be returned to you. This process will take about four hours, and once it’s complete, you can go home and shouldn’t have any symptoms after.
But what if I don’t have healthcare and can’t afford medical procedures?
You don’t have to pay for any of this. The test kit is free, and comes with a free return label. And depending on your location, if you match with someone and decide to donate, you may even get free transportation and other accommodations to help with the process!
But what if I’m LGBTQ+? Aren’t I banned from donating?
Being a member of the LGBTQ+ community does NOT bar you from donating bone marrow, even if you are barred from donating blood. If you have always wanted to save lives by giving blood, but haven’t been able to due to homophobic regulations, this is your chance to make a difference.
Well, I’ve been meaning to join the registry, but just have never gotten around to it…
This is your sign to do so. Even though the process of donating marrow is more like a blood donation, bone marrow donors and recipients need to closely match, much like for organ transplants. Every single additional name on the registry increases the chances that those with leukemia will find a match. You could literally be the only hope for someone else’s life and not even realize it.
Please: join the registry, and potentially save a life. Potentially save my friend.
vaporwave
pixelskylines
stormborns
jacobvanloon
amandla
andulkaphoto
gummygunk
tangentwithtanner
