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2008 Marrow Drive!
Driving For Donors is planning our 2008 International Tour. Please contact us if you would like to help plan a drive in your location!
Click here for contact info.
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Join the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) Registry and you could BE THE ONE to save the life of a kid like me!
How to Join the Donor Registry
You can join the NMDP registry as a potential donor if you are between the ages of 18 and 60 and are in good general health.
Joining the donor program is a simple process and requires only a small donation of saliva (through a cheek swab) and completion of a donor consent form. Your donated sample will be tested for your Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) type. Your HLAs are proteins on the white blood cells that make your tissue unique. The sample will be tested for your A, B, C and DR proteins, which are used to match patients and donors for marrow and PBSC transplants.
Your commitment as a donor
Becoming a volunteer donor is a serious commitment. If you join the registry you are asked to stay committed to donating to any anonymous patient, anywhere in the world, regardless of the patient's sex, age, race or ethnicity. You will remain on the registry until your sixty-first birthday.
Sometimes a potential donor who is successfully matched with a patient may decide not to go forward with the procedure. There are many reasons for saying no, including illness, amount of time involved, changes in your life, or even fear of the donation process. As a volunteer, the donor is under no form of legal obligation.
However, because a late decision not to donate can be life threatening to the patient, we ask that you seriously consider the commitment you are about to make before you join the donor registry. Changing your mind at the last minute may be fatal to the patient awaiting the transplant.
Many people contacted to be marrow or PBSC cell donors experience some hesitation, which is perfectly natural, as donation is a serious commitment. But, most decide to go ahead with the procedure once they balance all the facts and consider what their decision will mean to themselves and the recipient.
You can join the donor registry by attending one of the marrow donor drive locations that One Child's Dream / Driving For Donors will be visiting. You can also go to www.marrow.org to find your local donor center or join the registry online.
Cost to join the donor registry
It costs approximately $52 to complete the HLA testing. One Child's Dream / Driving For Donors is raising funds in order to pay the tissue typing fees for all donors who register during one of our drives. After the initial typing and registration to join the NMDP registry, there is no cost to the donor at any time. If you are identified as a donor match for a patient, all medical and non-medical expenses as a result of your marrow or PBSC donation will be covered by the NMDP and the patient's insurance.
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