COLUMBUS, Ga. --

Every year, thousands of people like Noah Hein are diagnosed with blood cancers such as leukemia. A bone marrow or cord blood transplant can save their lives. The patients who do not have a donor in their family, depend on the National Marrow Donor Program and its Be the Match Registry. At this donor drive in honor of Noah , Jimmy Dawes was the 100th person to walk in and join the registry.

I saw the story and read the story about Noah and it touched my heart personally because my father lost a battle with leukemia when I was 14 so it kind of hit home for me personally, says Dawes.

After filling out the paper work, you simply swab your cheeks. Doctors will be looking for a tissue match, specifically the human leukocyte antigen or HLA. HLAs are proteins, or markers found on most cells in your body.

Roderick Gunn works for the National Marrow Donor Program.

If your tissue type comes up as a match, you would then be asked to submit a blood sample, so we could do confirmatory testing to confirm that you are indeed the best possible match, says Gunn.

Then, after passing a physical exam,the transplant is scheduled. There are two ways to give. Peripheral blood stem cells or PBSC and marrow. Gunn says PBSC is used 80 percent of the time but the doctor chooses the best donation method for the patient. PBSC is similar to giving blood at a blood drive.

And they separate the stem cells from your blood while at the same time returning your blood back to you.

In marrow donation, the donor is anesthetized and a special needle is inserted into pelvic bone, and the marrow withdrawn.

Gunn says the program needs more minorities. He says its harder to match minority patients with donors because the pool is so small. He says often misinformation can keep people away from the program. One myth is its going to cost the donor too much money.

Excerpt from:
HealthWatch:How to become a marrow donor

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