# A health reminder for those of mixed race ancestry: tissue donation\* **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [June 11, 2008, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-health-reminder-for-those-of-mixed-race-ancestry-tissue-donation/452526 "2008-06-11T02:26:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2008, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-health-reminder-for-those-of-mixed-race-ancestry-tissue-donation/452526/1 "2008-06-11T02:26:32Z")
- inspired by the thread in GD that is focusing on the social construct of ‘race’ Please consider registering for bone-marrow or post-mortem organ donation. Yes, ‘race’ is primarily a social construct. Yes, people of one social race will have genetic contributions from more that one race, However, certain tissue typing factors are particular to certain specific genetic strains, and some of those strains are rare, and many combinations are rare. So, please consider donation if you are of partial African, European Jewish, Albanian, Native American Indian, or Asian-American descent. Actually, if you’re breathing, please consider donation. (No, they don’t ‘drill your bones’; according to a donor, it hurts about as much as walking into the corner of a table.\*\*) \*\* and, yeah, that hurts, but you get to save some one’s life ---
**Author:** ![TroubleAgain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@TroubleAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroubleAgain)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2008, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-health-reminder-for-those-of-mixed-race-ancestry-tissue-donation/452526/2 "2008-06-11T14:56:13Z")
I’m as white as white can be, but I signed up last year. I do have some Native American ancestry several generations back. ---
**Author:** ![wolf\_in\_second\_hand\_clothing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9d8465/32.png) [@wolf\_in\_second\_hand\_clothing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolf_in_second_hand_clothing)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2008, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-health-reminder-for-those-of-mixed-race-ancestry-tissue-donation/452526/3 "2008-06-11T17:37:28Z")
I signed up a couple of years ago. I guess not enough Japanese/white people have needed a marrow transplant to necessitate calling me. Or that that is not a particularly rare mix and there are plenty of donors. ---
**Author:** ![Elysium](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/3be4f8/32.png) [@Elysium](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elysium)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2008, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-health-reminder-for-those-of-mixed-race-ancestry-tissue-donation/452526/4 "2008-06-11T18:13:28Z")
I signed up just this year when they had the free mothers day promotion for the typing kits. I’m entirely northern European (Irish/English), so who knows if I’ll ever match someone in need, but I’ve done what I could. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2008, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-health-reminder-for-those-of-mixed-race-ancestry-tissue-donation/452526/5 "2008-06-12T01:47:08Z")
[QUOTE=TroubleAgain] I’m as white as white can be, but I signed up last year. I do have some Native American ancestry several generations back. [/QUOTE] _Thank you!_ for the comment; a young friend of mine, also as white as white can be, died because she could not find a match because of a very rare typing factor traceable to NAI heritage. [Shocked the hell out of family, but it finally explained some atypical phenotypes that popped up occasionally.] And I hope you have the opportunity to donate some day; donors get such a _glow_ when they talk about it. ---
**Author:** ![TroubleAgain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@TroubleAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroubleAgain)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2008, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-health-reminder-for-those-of-mixed-race-ancestry-tissue-donation/452526/6 "2008-06-12T16:00:21Z")
[QUOTE=j666] _Thank you!_ for the comment; a young friend of mine, also as white as white can be, died because she could not find a match because of a very rare typing factor traceable to NAI heritage. [Shocked the hell out of family, but it finally explained some atypical phenotypes that popped up occasionally.] And I hope you have the opportunity to donate some day; donors get such a _glow_ when they talk about it. [/QUOTE] Huh. I didn’t think it mattered, but you’ve shown it does. I’m glad I’m out there in the registry, then, for more than just white-white folks. (The only racial trait that I seem to have from NAI is the long, curly molar roots that dentists despair of.) ---
**Author:** ![3acresandatruck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/e79b87/32.png) [@3acresandatruck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3acresandatruck)\ **Post date:** [June 12, 2008, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-health-reminder-for-those-of-mixed-race-ancestry-tissue-donation/452526/7 "2008-06-12T16:36:45Z")
Maybe somebody can answer a question I’ve had for a long time. For organ donation, my driver’s license indicates I’m a donor. But I got tested for a marrow registry circa 1985 (there was a case where they were seeking donors with eastern European Jewish ancestors). If the registry finds a tissue match, _how the heck do they find the donor?_ Or do they throw away old donor information periodically? ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-health-reminder-for-those-of-mixed-race-ancestry-tissue-donation/452526/8 "2008-06-13T00:30:41Z")
[QUOTE=3acresandatruck] If the registry finds a tissue match, _how the heck do they find the donor?_ Or do they throw away old donor information periodically? [/QUOTE] You are supposed to contact the registry to let them know your new contact information; that’s the main purpose of that little card they send you with your registry number on it. You lost it, didn’t you? [Here you go.](http://www.marrow.org/DONOR/Now_that_Youve_Joined/index.html) You can try to update your information online, or call them. They may want to re-type you, because of the advances in tissue typing. They’ll send you a mouth swab. The Jews of eastern European descent are _very_ committed to registering donors (for obvious reasons). Other ethic groups with gene pool challenges aren’t as aware. (If anyone wants more information, I’ll monitor this thread for a while, and post what links I have. I am going away this week-end, though, so please be patient.) ---
**Author:** ![3acresandatruck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/e79b87/32.png) [@3acresandatruck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3acresandatruck)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-health-reminder-for-those-of-mixed-race-ancestry-tissue-donation/452526/9 "2008-06-13T01:00:09Z")
[QUOTE=j666] You are supposed to contact the registry to let them know your new contact information; that’s the main purpose of that little card they send you with your registry number on it. You lost it, didn’t you? [/QUOTE] Nobody ever said anything about sending me any kind of card and I never got one. I never heard anything more from them after I gave my blood sample. I checked the link you provided, and apparently they need more information than I can remember to track me down. (For example, they want to know the month/year I signed up; heck, I’m only certain it was in the mid-80’s). It might be easier to start over again, if there’s ever an opportunity not too far away. ---
**Author:** ![TroubleAgain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e480ec/32.png) [@TroubleAgain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroubleAgain)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-health-reminder-for-those-of-mixed-race-ancestry-tissue-donation/452526/10 "2008-06-13T01:08:31Z")
You can order a kit from them [here](http://www.marrow.org/HELP/Join_the_Donor_Registry/index.html). ---
**Author:** ![3acresandatruck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/3/e79b87/32.png) [@3acresandatruck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/3acresandatruck)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-health-reminder-for-those-of-mixed-race-ancestry-tissue-donation/452526/11 "2008-06-13T01:15:40Z")
[QUOTE=TroubleAgain] You can order a kit from them [here](http://www.marrow.org/HELP/Join_the_Donor_Registry/index.html). [/QUOTE] Thanks. I just checked it out, but I’m no longer qualified. I’m a little surprised, but it seems that you can’t be a donor if you have heart disease. I wish they explained why. On a positive note, the cost has gone done; I think I paid $75 when I did it way back when; now it’s only $52. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-health-reminder-for-those-of-mixed-race-ancestry-tissue-donation/452526/12 "2008-06-13T01:37:51Z")
[QUOTE=3acresandatruck] Thanks. I just checked it out, but I’m no longer qualified. I’m a little surprised, but it seems that you can’t be a donor if you have heart disease. I wish they explained why. On a positive note, the cost has gone done; I think I paid $75 when I did it way back when; now it’s only $52. [/QUOTE] In some states your health insurance must cover tissue typing; if yours is not one, lobby. There are lots of options for people who want to register, but don’t want to pay. (And if you don’t, I don’t blame you; who wants to pay for the possibility of getting the marrow sucked out of their bones?) As for the heart disease, I do not know. WAG: Donation may simply be classified as ‘elective surgery’; tissue donation registries are very protective of potential donors. OTOH, tissue from people with heart disease may have a statistically significant incidence of transplant failure. I’ll ask around. There is a valid scientific reason for the age limit; the stem cells just aren’t as young as they used to be in older people. Umbilical cords are the best; but there are storage and transport issues. I do know that if the registry will not accept you, you MIGHT still be eligible for a donation to a relative, so if, God forbid, it ever comes up in your family, ask if you might be eligible ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-health-reminder-for-those-of-mixed-race-ancestry-tissue-donation/452526/13 "2008-06-13T02:21:19Z")
I would register, but I don’t think I’m eligible, due to the mad-cow risk. ([sub]moo![/sub]) I can’t donate blood, either, but I would if I could. I also seem to recall seeing a questionnaire asking if I _or a close relative_ had ankylosing spondylitis, which suggests that that made people ineligible as well, and so if my memory is correct, I wouldn’t be eligible on that count, as well. I’ll look more into it, though…! Did you guys hear about Emru Townsend? He needed a bone marrow transplant, but was hard to match because he is of African-Caribbean descent, and there aren’t many donors on the registry. He had a huge campaign to try and get people to register… and now he’s found a match. I remember seeing the posters all over the McGill Campus “Do you match Emru?” or something like that. Pretty cool. [http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5gBsRuJ1vm4L01GWZrtZ1ujLVxfyQ](http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5gBsRuJ1vm4L01GWZrtZ1ujLVxfyQ) ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-health-reminder-for-those-of-mixed-race-ancestry-tissue-donation/452526/14 "2008-06-13T02:35:10Z")
FYI - if you go to a bone marrow drive, you don’t have to pay for typing. Unfortunately, when I tried to get on the registry the local people never would call me back, but I saw on the news that a sorority was having a drive and went down there. I hope one day to be called. ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-health-reminder-for-those-of-mixed-race-ancestry-tissue-donation/452526/15 "2008-06-13T02:45:44Z")
No, I hadn’t heard of Emru. Thank you, I really enjoy hearing about people finding matches. Local drives are incredibly effective; most people think ‘Yeah, I’d do that’, but it takes the guy in their Eco 101 class to actually get them to do it. (The drives held for my friend resulted in potential matches for … nearly 200? … people. I wasn’t one of them. I feel like a failure. At her wake, there was a notice of how many drives had been held, how many donors had been registered, and how many had already been matched; her death still breaks my heart, but … she saved a lot of lives, and that’s more than cold comfort.) Oh, God, I wish I matched some-one. ---
**Author:** ![Spiff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiff/32/9852_2.png) [@Spiff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiff)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-health-reminder-for-those-of-mixed-race-ancestry-tissue-donation/452526/16 "2008-06-13T03:02:01Z")
[QUOTE=3acresandatruck] it seems that you can’t be a donor if you have heart disease. I wish they explained why. [/QUOTE] Increased risk of experiencing side effects from the general anesthesia. **Spiff** , NMDP employee ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-health-reminder-for-those-of-mixed-race-ancestry-tissue-donation/452526/17 "2008-06-13T03:16:58Z")
wrong thread ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-health-reminder-for-those-of-mixed-race-ancestry-tissue-donation/452526/18 "2008-06-13T03:47:04Z")
[QUOTE=j666] You lost it, didn’t you? [/QUOTE] Yeah. Oops. But I just updated them. Thanks for the link. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-health-reminder-for-those-of-mixed-race-ancestry-tissue-donation/452526/19 "2008-06-13T03:55:22Z")
I just sent away for the mouth swabs a few minutes ago. So the list will be one person longer in about a week. And I already am a post-mortem organ donor. (I feel so…so…righteous!) ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [June 13, 2008, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-health-reminder-for-those-of-mixed-race-ancestry-tissue-donation/452526/20 "2008-06-13T04:08:43Z")
[QUOTE=Inner Stickler] I just sent away for the mouth swabs a few minutes ago. So the list will be one person longer in about a week. And I already am a post-mortem organ donor. (I feel so…so…righteous!) [/QUOTE] I know, right? It’s like being a good person, only you’ll probably never be called. 🙂 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-health-reminder-for-those-of-mixed-race-ancestry-tissue-donation/452526.md?page=2)