Donate Blood Stem Cells or Marrow | Rhode Island Blood Center

Donate Blood Stem Cells or Marrow

I Was Saved

After years of cancer treatment, Wesley needed her perfect match to cure her. She found it in aperfect stranger she now considers her blood sister

I Gave

Michaela's spur-of-the-moment decision turned out to be Wesley's life-saving match -- herperfectone-in-a-million match.

Research shows that cells from younger donors provide the greatest chance for transplant success. In fact, doctors request donors in the 18 to 44 age group more than 90% of the time.

18 to 44

45 to 60

One patient. One donor. That is how life-saving blood stem cell and marrow transplant matchesare made. Every three minutes someone is diagnosed with a blood cancer like leukemia. Thecure isin the hands of ordinarypeople, and it could be you.Through the Rhode Island Blood Center's partnership withBe The Match, the National Marrow Donor Program, you may find you are theone and only match forsomeone who doesn't have one in their family. Make today the day you sign up to save someone's life.

Complete some health questions and forms right here online to sign up. We will send you a cheek swab kit to do the rest.

A simple cheek swab you can easily complete yourself is all it takes. Donors and patients are matched by their HLA (human leukocyte antigen) type, which is different from matching blood types, and the results of the cheek swab tell us your type. Return your swabs right away!

Once you are on the registry, doctors search for a close match for their patients. You may match someone who has been waiting for a transplant now, or end up being someone's match in the future.

Stem cells arecollected right at the Rhode Island Blood Center througha process that is similar to donating blood platelets or red cells. It's called a PeripheralBlood Stem Cell Donation.You would receive five daily shots inyour armto boost thenumber of stem cells in your blood stream. Then you make thedonation, which takes 4 - 6 hours. Donors can experience bone pain from the stem cell boost. Recovery is usually quick, however --just one ortwo days after the donation is made.

Marrow donations are made at a hospital under anesthesia soyou do not feel any pain. Doctors remove a small amountof marrowfrom your pelvicbone with a needle. Recoveryis usually quick, though some donors may have aches and pains for several days to a few weeks. Your marrow naturally replenishes itself in fourto sixweeks.

I understand that:

If I match a patient:

I promise to:

Some conditions that would prevent you from becoming adonor:

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Donate Blood Stem Cells or Marrow | Rhode Island Blood Center