WHY WE NEED YOU

Gift of Life is an international stem cell and bone marrow registry whose sole purpose is to find life-saving bone marrow transplants for those suffering from blood cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma. 

Blood cancer can strike anyone at any time - 480 people a day are diagnosed with blood cancer. By joining the registry, you may be able to save the life of someone requiring a stem cell or bone marrow transplant. Today, transplantation of healthy stem cells or bone marrow donated by volunteers offers hope to many patients suffering from these sometimes deadly diseases.

Currently, there is an extreme need to democratize the registry. Genetic heritage matters because tissue type is inherited, like eye and hair color, so people from the same racial and ethnic background offer the best chance for a match. Yet many have low representation in the registry, leaving those patients with little possibility of a lifesaving transplant. At this time, 98% of Caucasian patients can find a match in the Registry, with that number dropping to 55% for Hispanic/Latino patients, 40% for Asian/Pacific Islander patients, and 25% for African/American, Black, and multiracial patients. Increasing the diversity in the registry is an urgent need.

Please consider joining the Acacia Fraternity Donor Circle...you could save a life!

DON'T BELIEVE HOLLYWOOD!

Transplants aren't as scary as Hollywood has led you to believe! Saving the life of someone battling a blood cancer is easier than you may think.

80% of life-saving transplants involve donating stem cells. During this out-patient procedure that is remarkably similar to donating platelets, the donor has blood circulated out of the body through one arm, processed through a machine that removes stem cells from the blood, and the blood is returned to the body in the other arm. This procedure takes 2-6 hours depending on the donor's stem cell production. Afterwards, the donor is ready to return to work, school, and play the next day.

The remaining 20% of life-saving transplants involve donating bone marrow. During this out-patient procedure, the donor is placed under general anesthesia and bone marrow is extracted from the iliac crest in the hip bone. Donors have reported some mild discomfort for up 2 weeks following the procedure, akin to falling on ice. This procedure is most often requested for pediatric patients battling genetic disorders.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

• Join the registry! Click on the blue "Get Swabbed" button.
  • Donors may join the registry on turning 18. Donors over the age of 35 can join the registry but we ask that you please donate $60 to offset the lab fees – Click here to learn why.
  • Eighty percent of donors requested by transplant centers are 18 to 35 years old for medical reasons – Click here to learn why Age Matters.
  • Donors can remain in the registry until their 61st birthday – Click here to learn why the registry has an Age Limit.
  • Certain medical conditions may mean you are not able to join the registry or donate – Click here to check the Conditions List. If you're not sure, a health history questionnaire is part of the registration process. 
• Sponsor a swab kit. Click on the orange "Give to My Circle" button. Lab processing of every kit costs $60. Your contribution will help add new donors to the registry, who may be a match for a patient battling leukemia, lymphoma, or another genetic disorder. 
• Spread the word. Use the social media links to the right to share Gift of Life's story in your Facebook and Twitter account.