Sweet Catastrophe

Be The Match is the national registry for bone marrow donors.

I’m not sure why I haven’t joined before now, but I did today.

June 8-22nd it’s free to register. Normally, registration is $100– “This tax-deductible payment covers your registration kit and the tissue-typing needed to add you to the registry.”

Joining means I’ll get a kit in the mail in about a week to basically swab my cheeks and send it back to them in the postage-paid packaging and they’ll do a tissue-typing and add me to the registry. If ever I’m listed as a match for someone, I’ll go through a physical and either sit through a process similar to giving platelets or a general/local anesthetic will be used on my back and bone marrow drawn directly– which would at most cause me only a minor back ache for a few days.

Can you imagine doing something so small on your part could actually save someone’s life?

Adding yourself to the registry doesn’t mean you’ll be required or pressured to donate if you’re found to be a match for someone, you’ll simply be contacted and asked to give a timely decision.

And registration took me less than ten minutes–that was reading through the medical requirements and answering a few quick questions about my health.

Again, registration is free until the 22nd, or until funding runs out (your registration fee is being covered by donations).

While I know it’s not something everyone may be comfortable with, I think everyone should at least consider it.