register to be a bone marrow donor

Received my registration forms from my local blood center. I’ve filled out most of the information and sent email to a couple friends asking them to be backup contact people for me. Once I have a couple people lined up, I can finish off the forms and check this one off my list!

I sent an email to the bone-marrow program at my local blood bank asking for the registration form. I can do the (small) blood draw at my local donation center.

I have also written letters (snail-mail; they get more attention than e-mail) to my Congressman and Senators asking them to sponsor and support legislation to fund the tissue-typing costs for all willing donors. Census figures show there are about 200 million Americans in the 18-to-60 age range specified by the National Marrow Donor Program, but there are only 6 million folks registered in the NMDP. Write your representatives!

I’ve been a blood donor for about 20 years and have considered registering for the bone marrow thing several times. Like others, my main sticking point has been the cost of the blood typing—not that I don’t have the disposable income (at least, now I do)—but that this isn’t the kind of thing someone in Congress could get funded through an appropriations bill so it’s free for anyone who wants to do it… But I’m not going to let that stop me any longer; instead, I’ll write my members of Congress and voice my opinion.

Let’s see… 300 million people at 65 bucks a pop? That’s under 20 billion dollars to get everyone in the country into the register. Seems like a small amount given the way money gets thrown around these days.