Save a Life
through stem cell donation

JOINING the Be The Match Registry

 

Joining the registry involves multiple steps. It is a defining moment in a person’s life—a declaration of their values and commitment to help others.

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• Joining the Be The Match Registry means volunteering to be listed as a potential blood stem cell donor, ready to help any patient in need of a life-saving donation.

• It’s easy to join the registry. All it takes is a simple cheek swab.

• You need to be healthy and willing to help any patient. 

• Because of the genetic complexity of matching donors to patients, it could be several months, or many years before you’re matched to a patient and asked to donate.

• Being on the registry is like being on the world’s best waiting list.

• You could be someone’s only genetic match—their only hope for a cure.

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FIVE STEPS TO SAVE A LIFE

Donating isn’t just something you do—joining the registry is a promise to stay committed and donate when needed.

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1. Register online – Answer simple questions about your medical history to make sure you meet health guidelines.

2. Receive a cheek swab kit by mail in about 3-7 business days.

3. Swab your cheek and return the kit – Your sample will be tested and your genetic type will be added to the Be The Match Registry.

4. Stay committed while you wait to be matched – Because of the genetic complexity of matching donors to patients, it could be several months or many years before you’re matched to a patient.

5. Say “Yes” when asked to donate – Patients and their families are counting on you to keep your promise to donate if needed. You could be someone’s only hope for a cure.

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PATIENTS IN NEED

Patients in need of a life-saving blood stem cell transplant count on Be The Match to find them a genetically matched donor.

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• Every three minutes, someone in the United States is diagnosed with a blood cancer.

• Right now, thousands of patients with blood cancers and other deadly diseases are desperately searching for their genetic match; someone willing to donate life-saving blood stem cells to be their cure.

• Seventy percent of patients do not have a fully matched donor in their family. They depend on Be The Match to find an unrelated blood stem cell donor.

 

 

THE NEED FOR YOUNG ADULT DONORS

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• Young adult donors are especially needed to help patients in need of a life-saving blood stem cell donation.

• Young adult donors have the healthiest, most robust blood stem cells, which produce the best results for patients.

• When given a choice of genetically matched donors, transplant doctors choose younger donors 85% of the time.

• We need healthy young donors to replace older registry members as they age off at 61.

• The vast majority of donors say it was worth it to save a life, and they would do it again.

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HOW BLOOD STEM CELL TRANSPLANT WORKS

Donors want to understand how a transplant works so they can easily explain how their donation could save someone’s life.

 

• Your healthy blood stem cells can be a cure for someone with blood cancer or other deadly disease.

• A blood stem cell transplant works by replacing the patient’s diseased blood stem cells with healthy cells from a genetically matched donor. The transplant replaces the patient’s entire blood and immune system.

• Donors and patients need to be a close genetic match. Matching is based on genetic markers called human leukocyte antigen (HLA).

• Because genetic markers used in matching are inherited, donors are most likely to match someone who shares the same ethnic background.

• Genetic type used to match donors and patients is much more complex than matching blood type. In fact, they don’t need to be the same. The patient’s blood type will change to the donor’s blood type after transplant.

 

HOW DONATION WORKS

Donors want to understand how the donation process works so they can be confident in their decision to donate.

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• There are two donation methods: peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) donation, and marrow donation.

• The patient’s doctor decides the donation method that is best for the patient.

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PBSC Donation

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• Most donors (75%) are asked to provide blood stem cells collected from the circulating blood. This is called a peripheral blood stem cell donation, or “PBSC donation.”

• PBSC is a nonsurgical procedure, called apheresis. It’s similar to donating platelets.

• For five days leading up to donation, the donor is given shots of a drug called filgrastim that increases the number of blood-forming stem cells in the bloodstream. On the fifth day, blood is drawn from one of the donor’s arms and circulated through a machine that filters out the stem cells and returns the remaining blood to the donor.

• Most donors visit with friends or binge watch TV during the procedure.

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Side effects and recovery

• Leading up to a PBSC donation, donors may experience headaches or body aches several days before collection due to side effects of the filgrastim. These side effects go away shortly after the donation. PBSC donors are typically back to their normal routine in 1 to 2 days.

• Most PBSC donors report a full recovery within 7 to 10 days of donation. Be The Match follows up with donors until they report a full recovery.

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MARROW Donation

 

• Some donors (25%) are asked to provide blood stem cells collected from bone marrow.

• Marrow donation is a surgical procedure that takes place in a hospital operating room. The donor receives anesthesia and feels no pain during the procedure.

• Doctors withdraw blood stem cells from small punctures in the back of the donor’s pelvic bone.

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Side effects and recovery

• Discomfort during recovery varies from person to person. Side effects may include back pain, fatigue, headache or bruising for a few days or weeks. Donors are typically back to their normal routine in 2 to 7 days.

• The median time to full recovery for marrow donors is 20 days.

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