The Perfect Match: Bone Marrow Donation

New Techniques Make Joining Registry And Donating Marrow Easier And Less Painful

(CBS)  Five-year-old Isaiah Garay of Phoenix was diagnosed with leukemia last fall. Doctors say a bone marrow transplant is his only hope for a cure.

"Our biggest dream is that if he does find a donor, that he will be well," said Adam Garay, Isaiah's dad.

Isaiah's parents and sister were tested to be donors but weren't a match. Only 30 percent of patients who need bone marrow transplants find a match within their families, CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric reports.

Adam and Connie Garay, Isaiah's parents, are holding bone marrow drives in their community in order to increase their son's chances of finding a donor.

Because he's Hispanic, Isaiah's quest is more challenging. All minorities have a more diverse genetic profile, so a higher number of potential donors are needed to increase the chances of finding a match.

"Our life mission right now is to get people educated," Adam Garay said.

For African-Americans, it is even more difficult.

Twenty-one-year-old Keisha Worthington of Chicago was among those hoping a donor would be found to help her beat leukemia.

"I need to announce to more African Americans and other minorities that they need to go out there and donate," Worthington said.

Over the past few years, signing up to donate has become easier. A simple cheek swab can put you on the list. Potential donors gathered at a recent bone marrow drive at the police academy in New York City. About 10,000 police officers and firefighters around the country join the registry every year.

If your swab is a match, and you are chosen to be a donor, life-saving cells can now be collected through an almost painless technique similar to giving blood. It is often easier and less invasive than the traditional way of extracting bone under general anesthesia.

But how often is a match made?

"Every single day through our program, we facilitate 10 transplants," said Dr. Jeffrey Chell of the National Marrow Donor Program. "This year we will have 3,600 people who will find that gift of life, find that perfect match."

But what about those who don't?

"And those are we appeal for more people to join our registry, and that is where our real need is," Chell said.

Luckily, Keisha Worthington defied the odds and found a donor.

"I know it's a man; that's all I know," she said. "I just want to tell him thank you very much and you probably saved my life."

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Read Keisha's mother's blog about her transplant.
Find out how to become a bone marrow donor.
Eye To Eye: More On Donation.
Can Donation Really Be Painless?

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So far, so good. Worthington is doing well after her transplant.

But like Isaiah, 6,000 patients a day are still waiting for a match. Now that there are less-invasive techniques for both testing and donating, more people will sign up, and more lives will be saved.

You don't need to pay the $52...they accept donations when you fill in the forms....there is no excuse because you cannot pay, not to be put on the registry...DO IT NOW..SAVE A LIFE

[grammawhamma]

Geez...you get paid to donate sperm but you have to pay to join a bone marrow registry!!?? There is something very wrong with this picture. If a loved one is killed and is an organ donor there is no cost to the family of the donor...why should there be for bone marrow? Please everyone donate your organs in the event of your death...give the gift that keeps living!!

[usmcmpwife]

I agree, $52 is a lot of money for a "test" without immediate tangible benefits. However, can you put a price on a human life?

My husband was diagnosed with NHL in 2001 and was lucky enough to have an autologous stem cell transplant, rather than allogeneic (receiving cells from someone else's marrow). But, if finding a matching donor would have been his only hope of cure, I would hope people wouldn't have seen $52 as a barrier, but rather a challenge: what can I do to save $52 in order to possibly save someone from dying? Save a dollar a week for a year. Heck, save a quarter a week for 4 years. Whatever it takes...do what you can. Put yourself if someone else's shoes: What if someone else's $52 stood between your life and your impending death. Look at the bigger picture before you make a snap judgment.

As for me, I'm calling today for more information on joining the national registry. Do I have an extra $52 tucked away somewhere? Nope. But I will definitely give up simple, unnecessary expenses to save the money and then gladly give it away.

[mhanney]

WE ARE TALKING ABOUT PERSON LIFE
NOT ABOUT THE MONEY
DO YOU THINK SOMEONE LIFE IS WORTH LESS THEN
$52

[aadpasia]

It actually does not cost $52 for everyone. If you are all or part ethnic minority and you register at an actual drive (and not online), your tissue typing costs are subsidized because of the critical need for more minorities on the registry.

[nlm2383]

As important as this is, I have to agree that CBS failed to inform you that there is a fee. And $52 at that? That's two weeks worth of gas money for me. I would be more than happy to help out, but not for that price.

[mhanney]

I DID A BONE MARROW FOR MY BROTHER 2001 AND IT WAS SO EASY JUST THINK OF IT A ONE DAY OF YOUR LIFE CAN CHANGE EVERTHING FOR SOMEONE ELSE.
EVERTIME I LOOK AT MY BROTHER HE IS 95% OF ME IN SIDE OF HIM. I WOULD DO THIS FOR ANYBODY
JUST GIVE SOMEONE A GIFT FOR LIFE.
THAT WHAT I DID

[ctfvegan]

I think it is irresponsible of CBS News not to mention that the National Bone Marrow Donor Program charges $52 to join the registry.

I think it is equally rediculous that it cost so much to join. To have to have $52 lying around to sign up has to be a large reason why so few people have signed up.