Mike Conley speaks about how the swab kit works when signing up to become a bone marrow donor.

It’s a safe process to save a life

There are two donation methods: Peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) and marrow.

PBSC donations are nonsurgical and take place at an experienced blood center or outpatient hospital facility that participates in PBSC collections for Be The Match.

Bone marrow donations take place in a hospital that is experienced and participates in marrow collections for Be The Match. After donation, donors’ liquid marrow is transported to the patient’s location for transplant. The marrow is used as treatment for blood cancers and diseases including Sickle Cell Disease.

Erik talks about matching a patient and what it means to him.

Mike Conley – marrow donation doesn’t hurt as much as you think.

It’s not very painful to save a life

There are two donation methods:

1. Peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC)
PBSC is a nonsurgical procedure, called apheresis.

• Leading up to a PBSC donation, donors may experience headaches, or bone or muscle aches, due to side effects of the filgrastim injections. These aches will go away shortly after the PBSC donation.
• On the day of a donor’s PBSC donation, blood is removed through a needle in one arm and passed through a machine that will collect only the blood-forming cells. The remaining blood is returned to you through a needle in the other arm.
• Most PBSC donors report a full recovery within 7 to 10 days of donation. Be The Match will follow up with donors until they report a full recovery.

2. Bone marrow donation
Bone marrow donation is a surgical procedure that takes place in a hospital operating room with anesthesia. During this procedure, you will feel no pain. Less than 5% of the donor’s marrow is needed, and because it is so little, your immune system stays strong.

• Common side effects of marrow donation reported 2 days after donation: Back or hip pain 84%, Fatigue 61%, Throat pain 32%, Muscle pain 24%, Insomnia 15%, Headache 14%, Dizziness 10%, Loss of appetite 10%, Nausea 9%.
• The median time to full recovery for a marrow donation is 20 days.

Ron talks about the need for more people to become members of the Be The Match Registry.

Mike Conley assures us that donating is free to the donor.

It’s free to save a life

The donation is absolutely free to the donor. Be The Match reimburses travel costs for donors. All medical costs for the donation procedure are covered by Be The Match or the patient’s medical insurance.

Paul, a Be The Match Registry member and bone marrow donor talks about his experience as a marrow donor for a 17-year-old with leukemia.

Aja-Reigh talks about the importance heritage plays in being a match for a searching patient.

Mike Conley speaks about the the time needed to become a bone marrow donor with Be The Match.

It doesn’t take long to save a life

Registration is a short process that could potentially match you to save the life of someone with your heritage. Donation is a simpler process than some may think.

The typical time commitment for the donation process is 20-30 hours of your time spread out over a four-to-six-week period.

There are two donation methods: Peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) and marrow.

• 90% of all PBSC donations are completed in 1 session, which may take up to 8 hours.
• For 5 days leading up to a donor’s PBSC donation, he or she will be given injections of a filgrastim, which increases the number of blood stem cells in your bloodstream.

Bone marrow donation is a surgical procedure that takes place in a hospital operating room with anesthesia. Typically, the hospital stay for marrow donation is from early morning to late afternoon, or occasionally overnight for observation.