Thank you for tuning in to the Education in Action: Virtual Town Hall on Healthcare Disparities. 

As an organization founded to solve one health inequity, the lack of diversity in the worldwide bone marrow registry, Gift of Life Marrow Registry is taking action address this public health crisis affecting BIPOC through advocacy, partnership, and action. We are so glad YOU are taking action and joining the registry today.

About marrow donor registries
Because only 30 percent of patients needing a transplant find a match among family members, 70 percent of patients must rely on volunteer bone marrow and blood stem cell donors who have joined one of the worldwide donor registries. Gift of Life is one of two public registries in the United States, and is a member of the World Marrow Donor Association (WMDA). 

Genetic Heritage is Key

Because the tissue types used to match donors and recipients for transplant are inherited, like hair and eye color, the best chance of a match is with someone who shares your genetic heritage. Because Black, Indigenous and People of Color are underrepresented in the worldwide registry, the chances of finding a livesaving donor are impacted. We seek to change the odds by adding many more diverse donors to the registry. 

Age matters!
While anyone between 18 and 60 can join the registry, the most frequently requested donors are young and male. Young people produce more stem cells, and due to their larger physical size, men produce more stem cells. The most requested donor group is 18 to 35, yet all donors can remain in the registry until their 61st birthday, and plenty of donors are called from the 36 to 60 group! Outside of this age group, we ask you to consider sponsoring a kit to be processed into our registry. Each swab kit costs $60 to process and, unfortunately, neither the government nor insurance covers the cost of testing new donors to grow the registry. Even the smallest donation helps!

How to use your swab kit
Your kit will arrive in the mail within five business days. Each kit contains four sterile cotton swabs, two for each side of your mouth. The kit will also have a postage paid return envelope – which may be folded up. Do not discard the return envelope. Each kit has instructions printed on the inside:

• Complete all the information on the swab kit’s upper flap. Please print legibly.
• Open the swabs, being careful not to touch the cotton to any surface other than your inner cheek. You may want to open one packet at a time. Only you should touch the swabs to prevent contamination.
• Swallow before swabbing! This is not a saliva test.
• One at a time, use each of the swabs in a different quadrant of your cheek, as shown in the diagram printed on the kit.
• Brush the swab against the inside of your cheek in a circular motion for approximately ten seconds.
• Drop the first swab inside the envelope and go to the next one, until all four are completed.
• Once the four swabs are inside the envelope, peel the adhesive strip and seal the envelope to prevent contamination.
• Do not remove the perforated section of the flap. Please double-check your information for completeness and legibility. Your telephone number and email address are essential for contacting you if you are a match.
• Place the entire kit inside the postage paid return envelope. If you have misplaced the envelope, please call our office to have a new, postage paid return envelope sent to you. Or, you can place your kit inside an envelope and mail it to our office at 5901 Broken Sound Parkway NW, Boca Raton, FL 33487.

For other Frequently Asked Questions and more information about joining the registry and the donation process please visit:

• https://www.giftoflife.org/page/content/join-registry
• https://www.giftoflife.org/page/content/The-donation-process