Becoming a Donor
If testing indicates that your precise marrow type is compatible with a patient in need of a donor, special counselors will provide you with detailed information about the marrow donation process and your options as a volunteer donor. You will also receive a thorough physical exam.
After making the decision to become a marrow donor, there are typically two different ways to donate. The recipient’s doctor will determine which is best for the recipient:
- Apheresis Machine – the most common procedure which collects immature stem-cells from the donor’s blood, much like giving blood
- Marrow Extraction – a procedure that extracts the liquid marrow from inside the back of the donor’s pelvic bone
Donor Restrictions
If you have any of the following conditions, you will not be considered for the Rutland Regional Marrow Donor Program:
- History of heart problems (because of associated risks)
- Diabetes (insulin dependent)
- Asthma (if dependent on oral steroids)
- Sickle cell anemia (sickle cell trait is acceptable)
- Arthritis: Rheumatoid (osteo or degenerative are acceptable if not in the lower back or hips)
- Convulsions (more than one seizure in the past year)
- Previous cancer – exceptions are: cervical cancer in situ; cured localized skin cancer, basal or squamous cell, not melanoma
- Hepatitis B surface antigen
- Hepatitis C antibody
- HIV positive or AIDS
- IV substance abuse (history of or current use)
- Chronic back or hip problems
- Disk Problems – unless corrected over 5 yrs ago, or injury over 2 yrs ago with no problems since
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Muscular Dystrophy
- Osteoporosis
- Crohn’s Disease
Joining Online
To join the Bone Marrow Registry on-line, go to join.marrow.org . Fill out the required form and the swab kit will be mailed to you, along with the instructions on how to do the test and send it back. After filling out the form, you will be asked for a promo code. The Rutland code is RRMC with the month and year or RRMC mm/yy. The code changes with the month. (Example: If you were joining in June 2012, the code would be RRMC0612.) This will ensure that your testing is billed to our program and not to you.
