Spiff, thank you.
And Stickler, thank you.
hmmmmmm, i wonder if my [new] employer would do the test for free since they are a hospital?
I would get one for myself & kids but holy cow that would be too much out of pocket for me right now. I dont ever hear of any drives in this area.
sidenote:
I learned about the medical challenges associated with mixed races when doing research on “The Order” back in the late 80’s.
Years ago there was a drive for Minesota Twins Hall of Famer Rod Carew’s daughter, who was of Carribean and Jewish decent. Sadly,no match was found, but the drive signed up thousands of volunteers (I was one), and IIRC I heard a while back that the drive has resulted in several successful matches. So some good did come out of a tragic story.
Do the same deferrals that apply to blood donation apply to organ/tissue donation?
I have mad cow disease 
I am precluded from registering on medical grounds,* sadly, but it’s something everyone should do if they can.
*Same ones that preclude me from donating blood, actually.
Here’s the page of restrictions
http://marrow.org/HELP/Join_the_Donor_Registry/Med_Guidelines_Join/index.html
Some health insurance will pay for tissue typing (it’s required in Massachusetts). There are frequently fully funded drives, in which an organization will pay all costs. You could try googling for a drive in your state.
The kids have to be 18, unless they are getting typed for a relative; some organizations will type high school seniors and ‘hold’ the registration until the kids are 18.
Oh, another free way to register; donate platelets. Platelets have to be typed, and (at least when my friend was sick), the hospital would provide the platelet typing information to the NMDP.
Have a nice week-end everybody.
I’m registered, we had a huge drive back in the late 90s when a buddy of mine had advanced leukemia–and we got him a match and cured. I’m still on the registry, and I hope it helps even though I’m white-white (English and Czech).
As for post mortem organ donor, if you’re not I have to wonder about you–it’s not like you’re using them.
Oh, dear. I know the answer to this.
Some people suspect that medical professionals will not work so hard to save a donor, in the hopes of harvesting.
Others are certain their heirs will be billed for the costs of harvesting.
I signed up years ago, when a couple who were members of the church I attended had a daughter who’d developed adult onset leukemia. They asked for permission to speak at the end of the service.
Their daughter was already dying, having been unable to find a match. But her folks wanted someone else to have a chance someday, so they told us how to get signed up. I’ve never been called, but I get the annual newsletter still.
Yep, I was coming in here to post about Michelle Carew, daughter of California Angels hitting coach Rod Carew. 
Their ancestry looked like the Gordian Knot, it was so complicated. Rod almost never spoke to the press- he was a very private man. But for Michelle, he became a full-on public face of donor lists. There is a beautiful statue of Michelle at the Angels ballpark in Anaheim, CA- if you ever go, you should spend a moment or two reading her plaque. She drew a Christmas card one year for Children’s Hospital (they sell cards with art done by the “cancer kids”), and I sent it out to everyone. It was beautiful- a mother and child done in blues against a yellow background.
At 3 months of age, my nephew was the recipient of a cadaver liver donation. We understand that the child was between 1 and 3 years old. I don’t have the words to describe the gift that family gave to mine.
ETA- from The Sporting News, a bit about Rod Carew-
Actually, the Carews eventually did find a match, but it was a cord blood unit, not bone marrow. She was transplanted with the cord blood, but it was when her leukemia was in a very advanced stage.
Perhaps if she had been transplanted earlier, the outcome might have been different
Cord blood is still experimental today, and back in the mid-90s, it was even more so. Michelle was one of the early pioneers to receive this treatment.
BTW, on June 22, the National Marrow Donor Program and the Minnesota Twins will honor the work of Rod Carew with a pre-game event here in Minneapolis.
Spiff, NMDP employee
We’ve been through this in a couple threads. I don’t suggest you read them; I lost a lot of respect for a lot of people in them.
Banned for sleep apnea. ?!?
Anesthesia risk.