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Join the Registry

 

Registering​ is Easy!

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To join, simply register through the following link: Join.bethematch.org/ShrinkTheGap 

Or text: ShrinkTheGap to 61474

You can also scan the QR code below!

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We will mail a kit to you that only requires you to swab your cheek. You mail it back to us and then you are registered! Out of everyone that joins the registry, only 1 in 430 people will match a patient and go on to donate. If you do match a patient, we will contact you.

PBSC and Bone Marrow Donation Information

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  • PBSC (Peripheral Blood Stem Cell) donating occurs through a nonsurgical procedure called apheresis. For 5 days leading up to the donation, you will be given injections of a drug called filgrastim to increase the number of blood-forming cells (also called blood stem cells) in your bloodstream. Then, through a process similar to that used when donating blood platelets, your 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. 

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  • Marrow donation is a surgical procedure that takes place in a hospital operating room. Doctors use needles to withdraw liquid marrow (where the body’s blood-forming cells are made) from both sides of the back of your pelvic bone. You will be given anesthesia and feel no pain during the donation. After donation, your liquid marrow is transported to the patient’s location for transplant.

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  • The hospital stay is usually from early morning to late afternoon/evening, or sometimes overnight if observation is needed.

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  • To learn more about donating PBSC and marrow, as well as recovery after the procedure, visit the Be The Match website.

Helping Hands
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