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DURHAM -- With lives on the line, the need for bone marrow donations across the country is greater than ever.

The National Marrow Donor Program said just five out of 10 patients will receive the transplant they need survive.

Elon University student Donovan Rainey recently passed the exam of a lifetime. He's a donor match for a patient in need of a bone marrow transplant.

"To be able to give life and to be able to try to sustain someone else's is just the ultimate gift," said Rainey.

Giving that gift is easier than before.

Duke University Medical Center said many are under the false impression that the only way to donate is by surgerically removing bone marrow from the hip.

Instead, donors can get blood removed through a machine. The stem cells found in donors blood will be used to create a new immune system for recipients.

"They don't need general anesthesia, they don't have to go to the operating room and I think there is less discomfort," said Susan Drago, a nurse at Duke's Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinic and Treatment Facility.

Rainey said the temporary discomfort is worth it because the life on the line was his dad's.

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College student answers growing need for bone marrow transplants

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