“Be a Match” – bone marrow donation
April 14, 2009 by Marijke Durning, RN
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
There’s a type of donation that isn’t as dramatic as a heart or liver transplant that brings people back from the brink of death, or a corneal transplant that gives people the gift of sight again. But it’s just as important and it saves lifes: bone marrow donation (Bone marrow transplants – would you be a donor? ).
As I wrote in the article linked just above, “Bone marrow is the soft tissue that is found inside our bones; it’s the spongy tissue in the breast bone, ribs, hips, pelvis, skull and spine. The role of bone marrow is to make blood cells – white blood cells to fight infection, red blood cells to carry nutrients from the lungs to the body tissues, and platelets that allow the blood to clot.
People with diseases that affect the bone marrow die of infection or inability for their blood to clot. The most commonly known disease that requires bone marrow transplant is leukemia, although there are many more.”
This is one type of donation that we, the healthy and the living, can give without much inconvenience to ourselves. A health person has plenty of bone marrow to spare. And in exchange for some discomfort after the bone marrow is taken, you can – literally – give back a life.
The MayoClinic.com has a very good explanation as to what bone marrow donation entails: Bone marrow donation: What to expect when you donate .
If you’re interested in being a bone marrow donor, you should be registered so the databases can be searched when someone who needs the donation. In the United States, you can choose from a few different registries. Although there are many more, here a few of the ones I found:
In Canada:
Canada Blood Services Registry
World Wide:
Would you consider registering as a bone marrow donor?
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Images: Stock.xchng
