Save a life. Become a bone marrow donor.
OneMatch.ca -Canadian Registry
My life was saved in 2006 by my brother who became my stem cell donor. I had a rare kind of leukemia, AML, which is quick and agressive. I lucked out that my only sibling was a match for me especially since there is only a %25 chance of that happening. Because of him, my sons still have a mother.
When there is no sibling match the doctors look to the bone marrow registries for an unrelated donor. The chance of finding an unrelated donor is much smaller than finding a sibling donor. The more people that are on the registries, the better chance everyone has. As I continued through my treatment several of the wonderful people I met who didn't find donors sat waiting. I will never forget them. There are people right now in hospitals around the world who will die soon if they don't find a donor.
Being a bone marrow donor is infinitely more easy than it used to be. Technology has leaped forward and in 2006, the actual harvesting of your stem cells was like a day in dialysis in a comfy chair watching TV.
Please sign up. Google your country and, bone marrow donor, to find your registry. Here are some links for Canada and a few others.
OneMatch.ca -Canadian Registry
The registries all connect with each other worldwide.
From the OneMatch.ca, donors should be healthy adults between 17 and 50
"A person's best chance of finding a matching donor is within his or her own ethnic group, As such, it is important that the donors on OneMatch reflect Canada's rich ethnic diversity. It is also important for the future of OneMatch to attract young donors."
People with mixed ethnic backgrounds are the most needed on the registry.
PLEASE Tweet, Blog, FB, Post and repeat!
