How to become a donor in the U.S.A. and Canada

5 small steps to save a life

1st step

Contact your local health service or bone marrow donor program for directions to your closest testing facility.

2nd step

Call your local center to make an appointment. The waiting period tends to be between 2 or 7 days.

3rd step

In order to study your histocompatibilty, one of two methods are used, depending on the country:

Cheek swab: in the USA and Germany, for instance, samples for compatibility studies are submitted via a cheek swab. Swabs, reminiscent of a q-tip, will be mailed to you. You will have to swab the inside of your cheek with them, and then mail them back for testing.
Blood sample: a small blood simple will be taken from you to conduct a basic histocompatibility study. Some of that sample will be kept at the lab in order to conduct further tests if a compatible patient is found, avoiding the need for a new prick of the needle if such a patient is located.

4th step

Your basic data and compatibility features will be registered in your national bone marrow donor database. This data will be encrypted and stored, in full compliance with your local data protection laws. This data will then be incorporated into the Bone Marrow Donors Worldwide network (BMDW), which features data from over 22 million donors in 50 countries.

5th step

With any luck, one of the hundreds of thousands of people around the world will be compatible with you. If this is the case, you will be contacted to make a donation. This donation is a simple procedure, done under local or general anesthetic, by which some bone marrow is extracted from the hip through a series of punctures. Donors feel only a small discomfort, and after some hours under observation, can go home. The extracted bone marrow will have been regenerated within a month of the extraction.

Where can I donate? – NEW!!

Here you can find a list of Stem Cell Donor Registries and Cord Blood Banks participating in BMDW – Bone Marrow Donors Worldwide
In USA
In Canada

The National Donor Program can provide you with information regarding how and where to donate in the USA or Canada. Extensive information regarding the process can be found on its website, bethematch.org. Tel. (toll free from USA and Canada): 1 (800) MARROW2 (1-800-627-7692)

Restrictions

Some people may not be able to become donors due to health reasons or life choices. Please consult the websites or hospitals to see posible restrictions.

103 thoughts on “How to become a donor in the U.S.A. and Canada”

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