Multi-racial Marrow Donor Needed
March 24, 2008 - 7:06pm
My friend, Abby, wrote asking for help. I'm now asking for your help. Abby's friend, Erica, has leukemia and is looking for a marrow donor. She needs a minority or multi-racial donor, who comprise only 3% of the donor registry.
Despite the dire situation, Erica clearly has a sense of humor about it. She recorded a song about her need.
Watch the video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DYUFB542Iak
I, personally, am not in the donor registry, but I'm going to find out how I can be. If something as simple as donating marrow can save another person's life, I'm up for it! Won't you do the same? Go to Marrow.org
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- Blogging since 2001
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Thanks for posting this Erica! It would be great if others reading this have a blog and would be willing to post the video-- the more people on the registry, the better.
Gratefully,
Abby
I have packets of marrow registration envelopes available. I can also assist you in setting up a marrow registration drive at your work or other events. It is a simple 4 swabs of the inside of your cheeks. After that it is mailed to the marrow registry and put on file. If you are matched as a donor, they then contact you about the donating process and if you are still wiling to donate. Two techniques are utilized for the abstraction of the marrow. The older and now less frequent is a needle extraction of the marrow from your illiac, (hip bone) this is a bit painful but not excruciating. The other is, you are given a medication that makes you feel a bit under the weather, with slight aches and so on, then you donate your blood and plasma, then the marrow is extracted from the donated plasma. The meds pull the marrow into the plasma.
You and an escort of your choice are flown to D.C. to either George Washington, or U of Maryland Medical centers for 5 days, put in a hotel and so on for the trip. Per Diem and the like as well. Let me know if I can help you out.
I recently held a drive here, and help set up another at the Pentagon and registered over 2,000 new potential donors. The average match is about 1 out of a hundred or so.
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