First donor possibilities

I learned today that two people of the eight database matches have already had their blood tested and sent to Boston for further testing at Dana Farber.  What a Christmas miracle that two people have already made a total stranger a priority at this busy time of year.

It will take about ten days for further testing to determine if either of these people are a true match.  If one of these people is a match, then it will be another couple of weeks for that person to get a full physical checkeup and then to go through the "conditioning" procedure. 

As I contemplate how grateful I am for these people, I am also sad at the number of people who have almost no chance to find a match.  We need to expand the DIVERSITY of the Donor Registry.  Check out this link:

http://www.marrow.org/cgi-bin/NETWORK/rec_group.pl

Here is a bit of what it says about the need for diversity; this link has lists groups that are actively recruting underrepresented populations:

"Marrow and blood cell transplants require matching certain tissue traits of the donor and patient. Because these traits are inherited in the same way as hair or eye color, a patient's most likely match is someone of the same race or ethnicity. To improve the chances for all patients to find a match, more Black and African American, American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and Hispanic and Latino potential volunteer donors are needed."