A Few Facts:

- Healthy, eligible blood donors are encouraged to enroll to donate a small blood sample for HLA typing.

- HLA tissue typing involves DNA analysis of six HLA antigens, which determines whether your bone marrow is a match for a patient.

- Any one person has a 1 in 20,000 chance of matching a stranger; hence, you are giving someone a Chance of a Lifetime.

- If you are selected as a candidate after blood typing, further tests and examinations will be conducted before you are asked to actually donate marrow.

- About 1000 mL of marrow (approx 5% of the body's total bone marrow) is extracted from the hip, which replenishes itself within two weeks. After an overnight stay at the hospital, donors usually return to normal activities in a week, with soreness as the most common side effect. Most donors express willingness to donate again in the future.

- There is currently an urgent need for minority donors including African American, Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latino, and American Indian/Alaska Native. Of the 3.5 million registered donors, 12.2% are Asian/Pacific Islanders; 8.3% African American; 3.8% Native American; 2.6%Hispanic; and 2.5% multiracial.

All in all, what does this mean? If you belong to one of the minorities mentioned, it is extremely important that you get tested. 3000 people search the registry every day in search for a life-saving donor, and you could be it.

FAQ's: It's not as scary as you think!

Q. If I was typed before, should I get typed again?
A. No. You are already in the national registry and do not ever need to register again. If your contact information has changed, please stop by the drive to update it.

Q. Does testing hurt? What is the procedure?
A. Testing is as painless as giving blood, and only takes 3-4 minutes.

Q. What are the chances of me being a match for a patient?
A. The odds vary widely, depending on the rarity of the patient's tissue type. A sibling is the best possibility - even then, there is only a 30% chance of a match. This means you may never be called even as a preliminary match.

Q. If I'm a match for someone, can I say "no"?
A. You may say "no" at any step in the process. Everything is confidential and anonymous. Keep in mind, being on the registry is a serious matter and does take thought and commitment. If you are unsure about being a bone marrow donor, ask about other methods in which you can help.

Q. So what happens if I am a match? Who pays for it?
A. If you are called as a match, the patient's insurance pays for the procedure - there is no cost to you. The process requires a short hospital stay. All donors receive general anesthesia, and marrow is removed from the rear of the pelvic bone using a special syringe. You might feel some tenderness in the area for a day or so.

Q. Are there any health risks to me?
A. The only risks are those associated with going under anesthesia.

Q. Do the patient and donor ever meet?
A. Marrow donation is done anonymously. For the first year after the transplant, the donor and recipient may communicate anonymously through the National Marrow Donor Program. If both patient and donor wish to meet after a year, it can be arranged.

Q. Who can be tested?
A. Donors must be between the ages of 18 - 59, be in good general health, weigh at least 100 lbs, free of chronic diseases, at low risk to general anesthesia, not excessively overweight, and have no tattoos obtained in the last year. The more people added to the registry, the greater the hope a match for someone in need will be found.