YOU Are A Potential Lifesaver!

In 1999, when I was 34 years old, I made a decision to join a special list of potential lifesavers. That was the year I signed up to be a bone marrow donor and for the past 17 years I have been on that list. I've never been called to potentially save someone's life by donating bone marrow, but for the past 6,205 days I've known that I could get a call at any time.

For the thousands of people diagnosed every year with life-threatening blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma, a cure exists. Over the past 25 years "Be The Match" (operated by the National Marrow Donor Program -- NMDP), has managed the largest and most diverse marrow registry in the world.

Every three minutes someone is diagnosed with a life-threatening blood cancer like leukemia. In 2015, the NMDP facilitated nearly 6,400 marrow and umbilical cord blood transplants, for a total of 74,000 transplants since 1987. For many, an unrelated marrow or cord blood transplant is a patient’s best or only hope of a cure. Seventy percent will not have a fully matched donor in their family.

The "Be The Match Registry" includes nearly 13.5 million selfless volunteers who stand ready to be a life-saving bone marrow donor. There are also more than 225 cord blood units listed on the Registry.  Because there are patients who can’t find a match, the NMDP needs more people to join the Registry, and to be there when they are called as a match.

Healthy marrow and blood cells are needed to live. When disease affects marrow so that it can't function properly, a marrow or cord blood transplant could be the best option, and for some patients offers the only potential cure. A bone marrow transplant takes a donor’s healthy blood-forming cells and puts them into the patient’s bloodstream, where they begin to grow and make healthy red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.

Joining the registry requires a sample of cells, usually collected by swabbing the inside of your cheek. The NMDP uses this sample to compare specific protein markers, known as human leukocyte antigens (HLA) with HLA markers of patients who need a bone marrow transplant. Doctors search the Be The Match Registry to find donors with HLA markers that match those of their patients. These searches happen on behalf of patients every day, so the most important thing you can do as a Registry member is stay committed.

When a Registry member matches a patient, there are several steps before donating. These steps are meant to ensure donation is safe for both the donor and the patient. Once approved to donate, the patient’s doctor will request one of two donation methods: peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) or bone marrow. The patient’s doctor chooses the donation method that’s best for the patient.

As I wrote, each patient needs a donor who is a close HLA match. This is different than blood type. Since HLA is part of your unique DNA, every person who joins the Registry gives patients hope for a cure. It’s also why there’s a need for more people to join, especially people whose backgrounds are: African American or Black; Asian or Pacific Islander; American Indian & Alaskan Native; Hispanic or Latino; and, White. Also, research shows that younger donors provide the greatest chance for transplant success, which is why people between 18-44 are called to donate more than 90% of the time.

I should note that those over 60 are not allowed to join the Registry. As one ages, the chances of a hidden medical problem that donation could bring out increases, putting older donors at increased risk of complications. So, if you join you'll be listed on the Registry until your 61st birthday -- which means I have 10 more years to be registered. Of course, you can voluntarily remove yourself from the Registry at any time.

You may never be identified as a match for someone, or you might be one of a number of potential matches. But you may also be the only one on the Registry who can save a patient’s life. What are the odds of potentially saving a persons life by joining the Registry? About 1 in 540 members of the Be The Match Registry in the United States go on to donate bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cells.

From Him, Through Him, For Him (Romans 11:36),

Paul J. Staso

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Visit my YouTube channel -- https://www.youtube.com/user/pacetrek

Click on any of the links below to see some of my adventure photos:

• United States in 2006 (3,260 miles solo in 108 days at age 41)
• Montana in 2008 (620 miles solo in 20 days at age 43)
• Alaska in 2009 (500 miles solo in 18 days at age 44)
• Germany in 2010 (500 miles solo in 21 days at age 45)
• The Mojave Desert in 2011 (506 miles solo in 17 days at age 46)
• Various Photos From Mileposts Gone By
• Students Worldwide Who Ran With Me Virtually
• Roadside Sights From My Running Adventures
• Some Cycling Moments From The Past