Here are some statistics about the Canadian OneMatch Stem Cell and Marrow Network that illustrate the pressing need for donors of various ethnicities to step forward and join the registry.
| Ethnicity | % of Registry |
|---|---|
| Caucasian | 72% |
| Chinese | 7% |
| South Asian | 4% |
| Asian | 2% |
| Black | 1% |
| East Indian | 1% |
| Aboriginal | 1% |
| Multi | 1% |
| Other | 11% |
As of January 2014
Bone marrow is located in most bones and is responsible for manufacturing blood cells. Certain diseases, such as leukemia, cause the bone marrow to malfunction and to produce abnormal cells. For many people suffering from these diseases, a bone marrow or stem cell transplant is the only hope for long term survival.
A bone marrow transplant is a procedure where a patient's own bone marrow is destroyed using high doses of chemotherapy and radiation. Healthy bone marrow cells are then infused in much the same way as a blood transfusion. The healthy bone marrow can come from a variety of donors depending on the type of disease:
In all cases, the donor must have a compatible human leukocyte antigen type (HLA type or tissue type) with the patient. Many patients are able to find a compatible donor, but too many are not. Imagine how devastating it would be to learn that lifesaving treatment is not available for you because a compatible donor cannot be located.
Fortunately, millions of caring individuals have volunteered to be listed on the worldwide bone marrow registry and are willing to donate if a matching patient is in need. However, with thousands of HLA types it can be very difficult to find a match making it critical to continue to add more people to the registry.
Ethnicity is a key factor in matching donors to patients. In the Canadian bone marrow registry, ethnicities other than Caucasian are vastly under represented.
All that is needed to determine your HLA type is a cheek swab or a simple blood test. Please join the bone marrow registry in your country today!
Considering what a lifesaving gift bone marrow is, the process of donating is really not much more than a minor inconvenience. The procedure is very safe and there are no lasting effects. Your bone marrow regenerates completely in much the same way that blood regenerates after donating blood.
Depending on the patient’s needs you will be asked to either donate bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cells.