The last part about racial/ethnic matching is very critical as the level of minority registrations in the United States is very low. This link (http://www.matchpia.org/) provides information for donors who are of south Asian (India/Pakistan/Bangladesh) origin but the rules apply to other ethnic minorities too. Check out the FAQ section on what is involved if you do match someone in need of a bone marrow transplant.
Another way to help patients with leukemia is to donate platelets which can be done at most blood donation centers:
http://www.cbcsf.org/pages/donating_blood/types.html#platelet
Register for FREE with the
National Marrow Bone Donor Program. The online registration
takes a few minutes and then a kit will be sent to you. All you have to do is
swab the
inside of your cheek and mail it back.
The test usually it costs $52
to get tested but during this drive it's free:
To join for free, you must complete the online registration step before May 21
or while
funding remains. Give the gift of life and register for FREE with the National
Marrow Bone Donor Program.
http://www.marrow.org/HELP/Join_the_Registry/index.html
Did you know:
•
Leukemia and other diseases that may be treated with a transplant can strike
anyone,
of any age, gender or ethnicity.
•
Thousands of people do not have a matching donor in their family. They are
searching
for a volunteer donor, someone willing to step forward to save the life of a
stranger.
•
Every search conducted through the NMDP Registry provides patients with access
to
more than 10 million donors worldwide. Yet, because successful transplants
require
detailed matching, even 10 million is not enough for every patient to find a
match.
•
The best chance of finding a match is between people who share the same racial
or
ethnic background. Diverse donors are especially needed