Blood Cancer
www.marrow.org
Every year, more than 10,000 Americans are diagnosed with life-threatening diseases such as leukemia or lymphoma, and their best or only hope of a cure is a transplant from an unrelated donor or cord blood unit. Most patients, about 70 percent, in need of a transplant do not have a matching donor in their family. Where can they turn? Be The Match.
Be The Match, a part of the non-profit the National Marrow Donor Program, raises awareness and establishes a network of donors through the Be The Match Registry. The registry is a system which matches patients to their prospective donors through Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) typing. This typing corresponds a series of data to determine a blood marrow and/or a cord blood match. Be The Match Registry currently has more than 7 million potential volunteer donors. This extensive network gives patients a 60 to 88 percent chance of finding a match. If you are interested in becoming a donor, and potentially saving a life, visit http://www.bethematch.org/join and sign up now.
Be The Match not only aids blood cancer patients with finding a donor, but events are also held nationally – ranging from auctions to walks – to raise awareness and money for blood cancer research, patient assistance funds and adding more people to the Be The Match Registry. If you are interested in getting involved with a local a event, visit http://www.bethematch.org/help.