Bone marrow registration becomes walk-in at lab

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. James Clark
  • 22nd Medical Group laboratory services chief
MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. --  Each year, more than 30,000 adults and children are diagnosed with leukemia or other fatal blood diseases that may require a lifesaving bone marrow transplant if other treatments fail.

More than 70 percent must search for a matching donor outside of their immediate family.

Since the late 1980s, the National Marrow Donor Program has enabled more than 10,000 unrelated transplants using donors from their registry of more than five million volunteers.

The odds of patients finding a lifesaving match will improve as more potential donors are added to the registry.

The 22nd Medical Group Laboratory is now conducting walk-in registration for potential donors during regular duty hours.

The NMDP has almost 100 donor centers around the country, one of which is the C.W. Bill Young Department of Defense Marrow Donor Program, which recruits potential donors from within the DoD community around the globe.

In addition to its humanitarian mission, the DoD MDP has a military contingency mission to provide immediate donor searches in the event of a mass casualty incident involving chemical agents or nuclear exposure that damages bone marrow.

Anyone between ages 18 and 60, in good general health and not previously registered is eligible for the donor program.

Most current blood donation restrictions do not apply to the marrow program. People can register even if they have lived overseas, have a cold or are taking most medications. Registration is free, and takes only about 15 minutes.

Potential donors just fill out a consent form then swab the inside of their mouth to provide cells for testing.

Blood samples are no longer required. Potential donors remain in the registry until age 60 and are contacted if they ever become a preliminary match for a patient.

Only after further testing and more education on the process will potential donors have to commit to giving the gift of life, bone marrow taken from the hip, under anesthesia or peripheral blood stem cells taken from the blood through a needle in the arm.

"I am thankful God has given me the opportunity to help someone in this way," said James Speanburg, 22nd Medical Group pharmacy technician.

Bone Marrow or PBSC donations are most often performed at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington D.C. for DoD personnel and a nearby major medical center for civilians, and there is no cost at any time to the donor or his organization or base.

Donors can usually resume normal activities within a day or two.

Previous donors said the small amount of pain or discomfort is well worth the knowledge they may be saving someone's life.

Those who would like to become a potential donor should visit the 22nd Medical Group Laboratory and get registered.

For more information, contact Staff Sgt. Stephanie Vazquez at 759-5035, the DoD MDP at www.dodmarrow.org or call 1-800-MARROW-3.