Q: Why is there a need for people to join the Be The Match Registry?
A: Thousands of patients with leukemia and other life-threatening diseases depend on the Be The Match Registry® to find a match to save their life.
Patients need donors who are a genetic match. Even with a registry of millions, many patients cannot find a match. Donors with diverse racial or ethnic backgrounds are especially needed. To learn more, see The
Need for Donors.
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Q: I'm already on the NMDP Registry. Do I
need to join the Be The Match Registry, too?
A: Be The Match Registry is the new name for the National
Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) Registry. If you joined the NMDP
Registry, either in person or online, you are a member of the
Be The Match Registry and do not need to join again. The name
has changed, but the goal is still the same. As a member
of the Be The Match Registry, you could be the one to save a
life.
Related Links:
About Be The Match
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Q: What is a bone marrow transplant?
A: Bone marrow transplant is a life-saving treatment for
people with leukemia, lymphoma and many other diseases. First,
patients undergo chemotherapy and sometimes radiation to destroy
their diseased marrow. Then a donor's healthy blood-forming
cells are given directly into the patient's bloodstream, where
they can begin to function and multiply.
For a patient's body to accept these healthy cells, the
patient needs a donor who is a close match. Seventy percent
of patients do not have a donor in their family and depend
on the Be The Match Registry to find an unrelated bone marrow
donor or umbilical cord blood.
Related Links:
Learning about Bone Marrow or Cord Blood Transplants
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Q: How do I become a bone marrow donor?
A: The first step to become a bone marrow donor is to join
the Be The Match Registry. Doctors around the world search
our registry to find a match for their patients. If a doctor
selects you as a match for a patient, you may be asked to donate
bone marrow or cells from circulating blood (called PBSC donation).
Patients need donors between the ages of 18 and 60 who meet
health guidelines and are willing to donate to any patient
in need. To learn how to join the Be The Match Registry, see
Join the Registry.
Related Links:
Steps of Bone Marrow and PBSC Donation
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Q: Why is there sometimes a cost associated
with joining the registry?
A: The total cost to add a new member to the Be The Match
Registry is about $100. This includes the cost of the testing
needed to match donors to searching patients and related costs.
Be The Match relies on financial contributions to help
cover the costs of adding members to the registry. Others have
contributed toward the costs for you to join today. However,
there are not always enough funds to cover the numbers of donors
needed, so sometimes new members are asked to pay some of the
registration costs when they join.
Your contribution will make it possible for more people
like you to join in the future. Every gift helps make life-saving
transplants a reality for more patients — contribute
now.
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Q: What is my commitment if I join?
A: When you join the Be The Match Registry, you make a
commitment to:
- Be listed on the registry until your 61st birthday, unless you ask to be removed
- Consider donating to any searching patient who matches you
- Keep us updated if your address changes, you have significant health changes or you change your mind about being a donor
- Respond quickly if you are contacted as a potential match for a patient
You have the right to change your mind about being a donor at any time. Donating is always voluntary.
If you decide
you do not want to donate, let us know right away. That way
we can continue the search for another donor without dangerous
delays for the patient.
Related Links:
Update Your
Contact Information, Understanding Your Commitment
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Q: Why does a person have to be 18 to join?
Can't my parent sign the consent for me?
A: We require volunteer bone marrow donors to be between
the ages of 18 and 60, which is standard medical practice.
An individual must be 18 to donate because marrow donation is
a surgical procedure and the person undergoing the procedure
must legally be able to give informed consent. A guardian or
parent cannot sign a release or give consent because unrelated
marrow donation is a voluntary procedure and is not beneficial
or life-saving to the donor.
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Q: If I'm over 60, why can't I join?
A: The age limit is not meant to discriminate. We must
use chronological age to determine eligibility to protect the
safety of the donor and provide the best possible treatment
for the patient. With age comes a small increase in the risk
of side effects from anesthesia.
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Q: If
I join the Be The Match Registry,
how likely is it that I will donate to someone?
A: We cannot predict the likelihood because there is so
much diversity in the population. Every person who joins the
registry gives patients hope, and new patient searches begin
every day. 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 particular
patient's life.
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Q: Does race or ethnicity affect matching?
A: Racial and ethnic heritage are very important factors. Patients
are most likely to match someone of their own race or ethnicity.
Today, there simply aren't enough registry members of diverse
racial and ethnic heritage. Adding more diverse members
increases the likelihood that all patients will find a life-saving
match.
Members of these backgrounds are especially needed:
- Black or African American
- American Indian or Alaska Native
- Asian, including South Asian
- Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander
- Hispanic or Latino
- Multiple race
Related Links:
The Need for Donors
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Q: What is the donation process like?
A: Adult donors may be asked to donate in one of two ways:
- Bone marrow donation is a surgical procedure in which liquid
marrow is withdrawn from the back of the donor's pelvic bones using special,
hollow needles. General or regional anesthesia is always used for this
procedure, so donors feel no needle injections and no pain during marrow donation.
Most donors feel some pain in their lower back for a few days afterwards.
- Peripheral
blood cell (PBSC) donation involves removing a donor's blood through a sterile
needle in one arm. The blood is passed through a machine that separates out
the cells used in transplants. The remaining blood is returned through the
other arm.
For an overview of the donation process, see Steps
of Bone Marrow & PBSC
Donation.
Related Links:
Myths & Facts about Bone
Marrow Donation, Donation FAQs
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Q: Can I get tested for a specific patient
or family member?
A: When you join the Be The Match Registry, you make a
commitment to consider donating to any searching patient who
matches you. As a volunteer, you are never under any legal
obligation to donate and your decision is always respected.
However, because a late decision not to donate can be life-threatening
to a patient, please think seriously about your commitment
before deciding to join our registry.
You can request a copy of your own testing results after
you join the Be The Match Registry. However, if you want to be
tested only for a specific patient, you will need to have your
testing done privately. You can contact the patient's transplant
center or transplant doctor for more information.
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Q: I've already been tested for a family member.
How can I add my results to the Be The Match Registry?
A: Get a copy of your human leukocyte antigen (HLA) tissue
typing lab report and contact the donor
center in your
area. You will need to fill out a health history form to verify
you meet medical
guidelines. You will also need to sign a consent
form agreeing to be listed on the Be The Match Registry.
Once you are listed on our registry, we will contact you
if you are identified as a possible match for a patient.
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Q: I think I may have already joined. How can
I verify that I am on the registry?
A: Be The Match Registry is the new name for the National
Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) Registry. Whether you joined
the NMDP Registry or Be The Match Registry, online or in person,
you are part of the same registry and do not need to join
again. If you have previously given a blood sample or cheek cell
sample to be tested for the registry, you do not need to join
again.
If you are unsure whether you joined, you can contact us
at 1 (800) MARROW-2.
Related Links:
About Be The Match
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"It is unacceptable that a person in need of a bone marrow
transplant will die because they cannot find their match." Jason
Cox, Founder & President, Marrow Match™ |
