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Saint Alphonsus is a Donor Center for the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP), which provides marrow and blood stem cell transplants for patients with leukemia and other life-threatening blood diseases. Currently, more than 1,400 patients receive transplants through the NMDP each year, although over 30,000 people are newly diagnosed annually. We now have over 3,000 patients searching the registry daily for a potential marrow match.

Approximately 4 million volunteer potential donors are listed on the NMDP registry, and we are actively recruiting for more minority donors. By diversifying the registry, the NMDP will be able to offer all patients an equal chance of finding an unrelated donor.

The following points should be considered before joining the registry:

• NMDP volunteer donors must be willing to consider donating to any patient searching the registry.
  
• Volunteer donors must be between the ages of 18 and 60 and in good general health with no history of:
  
  • Cancer
    
  • Diabetes
    
  • Heart disease or heart attack
    
  • Asthma
    
  • Auto-immune disease such as Lupus or Fibromyalgia
    
  • Chronic back problem involving a disc
    
• There is a health history/consent form to complete and a small sample of blood is taken by finger stick.
  
• If called upon to be a potential donor, additional steps may include more blood testing, a medical examination, counseling about marrow and donation, and ultimately the collection of marrow or blood stem cells.

There is no cost to join the registry. To set up an appointment to join or for further information, please contact Bernie Downey, R.N. at 208-367-2715. Additional information may be obtained from the NMDP Web site at www.marrow.org or by calling 800- MARROW-2.

Thanks for considering giving another person a "second chance at life."

To find out more about becoming a bone marrow donor or joining the registry, please call 208-367-2715.

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