Bone Marrow Drive

The FMIG bone marrow drive with Be The Match was a great success - lots of young and diverse donors joined the registry!  A total of 30-35 people joined at the drive.  We also heard some powerful stories from people who have been personally affected by diseases requiring bone marrow transplant. 

Thanks to all the volunteers who helped plan, staff, and joined the registry!

Marrow Drive Volunteers

Primary contact:  Lane Wilson jwltyf@mizzou.edu

Tables and chairs:  Alex Zweig and Meryl Sundy

Flyers (also helping with tables and chairs):  Kendal Geno and Janelle Riley

Campus group contact:  John Cummins

Various:  Taylor Collier, Veronica Conaway, Shannon Hutson

Staff at drive:  lots of pre-med students

Bone Marrow Drive

The bone marrow drive has been officially scheduled for October 13th from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm in the hospital lobby.  We will need at least 5 volunteers at the event at all times.  We also need help with set-up and clean-up.

About the Be The Match Registry (formerly National Marrow Donor Program Registry):

• There are over 7 million people on the registry.
• Minorities are underrepresented on the registry.  As much as 80% of African-Americans who need a bone marrow transplant never find a match.
• When people on the registry are called and told they are a potential match for someone needing a bone marrow transplant, more than 50% back out and do not donate.

About joining:

• A simple cheek swab is needed to join the registry - they will use the sample to determine your HLA type
• Once you've joined the registry, you will be on it until your 61st birthday unless you remove yourself (which you can do at any time) or develop a medical condition making you ineligible for donation.
• You can't join if you have blood diseases, cancers, autoimmune diseases, immune deficiencies, or back disease such as disk herniation (don't know why on that one).
• You will get a donor card with an identification number.  You will be able to update your contact information online, which is important when you're on the registry!

If one is asked to donate:

• There are two methods of donation, bone marrow aspiration (from iliac crest) or peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) filtration.
• PBSC filtration is performed by first giving the donor a five day course of filgastrim, then filtering the stem cells out of the blood and returning the rest of the blood to the donor.
• The method of donation is up to the physician performing the transplant, over 80% of the time PBSC is chosen.
• Studies have not shown a clear benefit over one method or the other to either donor or recipient.
• If you are a preliminary match for someone, you will be contacted and asked if you are still willing to go through the process.

What are the chances of being asked to donate?

• It largely depends on your HLA type.  Most people are never asked to donate though.

For more information, go to http://www.marrow.org/