Recently, I learned that the 24 year old sister of a friend of mine was diagnosed with Leukemia and is in desperate need of a bone marrow match and transplant. Until today, I didn’t know too much about bone marrow transplants and how to get tested. I’ve heard stories of others in need and never found myself getting tested because quite frankly I didn’t know enough about it.

It’s unfortunate that it took a life threatening story of a friend’s family member to motivate me to learn more. I found the process ridiculously quick and easy & am hoping that this post encourages those who haven’t yet gotten tested to take the first step.

How to take the first step:

1. Go to the National Marrow Donor Program website & sign up to the registry OR you can search to see if there’s a donor drive near you.

2.  Within 2 weeks you will receive a packet that contains 4 cotton sticks to swab the inner lining of your cheeks.

3. After you collect the sample of your cheeks cells, put the sticks in the business reply envelope they provide you & mail it away!

It’s really that quick and easy. The sooner the registry receives your kit, the sooner the process can begin to list you on the registry (takes around 2 months).

For more information about getting tested, matched or giving bone marrow – check out these FAQs.

Important to note: The National Marrow Registry says that:  ”Racial and ethnic heritage are very important factors. Patients are most likely to match someone of their own race or ethnicity. Today, there simply aren’t enough registry members of diverse racial and ethnic heritage. Adding more diverse members increases the likelihood that all patients will find a life-saving match.”

I hope this helps you consider getting tested if you already are not part of the registry.

Additional Links:

Follow “BeTheMatch” on Twitter

Wikipedia Article – National Marrow Donor Program

My friend’s “Cure Sonia” Campaign on Facebook