Fees waived for US marrow donation signups

Help Emru Heal Someone sez,

Beginning June 8, the first 46000 people to sign up to the National Marrow Donor Program in the United States can do so for free.

While there are ways to register for free or at a lower price during the year, you often have to know the ins and outs, and it is uncommon to be able to register online and get a kit sent directly to your home at no charge.

For those who are eligible, the most daunting part of considering becoming a donor are the unanswered questions and misconceptions of the registration, matching, and donation process (which is why I have linked to the NMDP's FAQ).

Here are some things you may or may not know:

-Over 70% of people will not match someone in their family and will search for a registered stranger to be found as a match.

-In most of North America, you can register using a simple cheek swab test to determine your profile.

-Most people will never donate, because it is very hard to find a match, but the procedure is low-risk and not lengthy.

-Your ethnicity plays a large role in determining a match. Many people are in underrepresented donor pools, but no one is guaranteed a match.

-2 in 10 patients with active requests will find an unrelated match.

FAQs about Joining the Registry

(Thanks, Tamu!)

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