Today you can take the first step in the process by registering to join the marrow registry. Once your swab kit arrives you will give a quick and painless cheek swab, complete a form and give your consent. We will test the cheek swab and add your tissue type to the registry, which is searched by hospitals worldwide.

Someday you may be lucky enough to be called upon to help a patient in need. If so, you will be asked to take a simple blood test to confirm your tissue type is a match and a physical to make sure you are healthy enough to donate. If everything checks out, you will be asked to donate in one of the following two ways listed below.

90% of donors will give peripheral blood stem cells from their circulating blood. To obtain enough cells for transplant, a donor is given injections of Filgrastim that stimulate large quantities of stem cells to mobilize from the bone marrow into the circulating blood. You can donate at Gift of Life’s state-of-the-art collection center or a hospital or clinic. You will be connected to an apheresis machine for about 4–5 hours while the stem cells are harvested. In rare cases the collection may take place over two days.

10% of people donate bone marrow which is found in the hollow cavities of large bones. It is withdrawn from the pelvic bone in an area called the iliac crest. The bone marrow is collected as an outpatient procedure in a hospital operating room under general anesthesia. Marrow regenerates completely within four to six weeks. Donors usually go home after the donation and should anticipate taking a few days off after the collection to recover.