Bone marrow program to hold drive
Mon Valley residents have the opportunity to save a life on Friday by joining the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) Registry during the “Thanks Mom” national donor drive. Each day, thousands of patients are searching for a life-saving marrow or blood cell transplant, and area residents could be a match. Monongahela Valley Hospital will host the donor drive at the hospital in the Anthony M. Lombardi Education Conference Center as part of Thanks Mom, NMDP’s largest awareness campaign of the year that runs May 5 through May 19.
Every day, 6,000 patients in need of a life-saving marrow transplant search the NMDP Registry for a donor. Because only 30 percent will find a matching donor within their family, volunteer donors are needed. Mon Valley residents will have the opportunity to join nearly 7 million Americans on the NMDP Registry who are committed to saving lives.
Having a diverse registry is key. Doctors look for a close match of tissue traits between donors and patients. Common traits are more likely to be found among people of the same racial or ethnic heritage.
Registry staff will see potential donors from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Parking is free. To register, call 724-258-1282 or, if you have any questions, call Nancy Ortiz at 201-705-1641.
To be a member of the National Marrow Donor Program Registry, all you need is to:
– Be between the ages of 18 and 60
– Be willing to donate to any patient in need
– Meet health guidelines
Joining the Registry is easy. Those who attend the drive will have the inside of their cheeks swabbed and will be asked to fill out some paperwork. Donors may also join online at marrow.org.
New this year, the NMDP launched its virtual “Donor Garden” to help kick off Thanks Mom. Members of the public are invited to participate in the garden and show their support for patients in need of an unrelated transplant. The garden can be accessed by visiting marrow.org and clicking on Thanks Mom.
The NMDP facilitates unrelated marrow and blood cell transplants as a single point of access for a long-standing collaborative network of national and international leading medical facilities in marrow and cord blood transplantation. The NMDP connects patients, doctors, donors and researchers to the resources they need to help more people live longer and healthier lives. For more information, call 1 (800) MARROW-2 or visit www.marrow.org. Join online at marrow.org/join.