Join the Marrow Registry

Blood Assurance has been a member of the Be The Match Registry® (also known as the National Marrow Donor Program) since 1993.

Be The Match® is a worldwide organization made up of individuals who work together to recruit bone marrow and/or stem cell donors to match potential donors with patients in need of life-saving transplants.

For those in need of a transplant, there is a 30% chance of finding a matched donor within the patient's family. The registry increases your chances to 85%.

(Watch Josh & Nikki's story)

Potential donors must be between the ages of 18 and 60 years old and are required to meet certain health guidelines. A swab sample of cheek cells is taken and tested to determine the donor's tissue type. Potential donors must also complete a brief health history questionnaire and sign a consent form to have their tissue type listed on the Be The Match Registry. You are only called to donate if you are a potential match for a patient.

Donors may be asked to donate in one of two ways:

• Bone marrow donation is a surgical procedure in which liquid marrow is withdrawn from the back of the donor's pelvic bones using special, hollow needles. General or regional anesthesia is always used for this procedure, so donors feel no needle injections and no pain during marrow donation. Most donors feel some pain in their lower back for a few days afterwards.
• Peripheral blood cell (PBSC) donation involves removing a donor's blood through a sterile needle in one arm. The blood is passed through a machine that separates out the cells used in transplants. The remaining blood is returned through the other arm.

FAQs About Joining the Registry

Medical Guidelines for Joining the Registry

Contact us

You can join the registry at any Blood Assurance location or by visiting a marrow registration drive. For more information, please contact the marrow department:

Carla J. Lewis
Marrow Representative
423-752-8468

Alta Roberson Peden
Marrow Representative
423-752-5951

Learn More About Blood or Marrow Donations