# I may be a bone marrow donor! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 11, 2010, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-may-be-a-bone-marrow-donor/528499 "2010-02-11T00:01:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Nunavut\_Boy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/e95f7d/32.png) [@Nunavut\_Boy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nunavut_Boy)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2010, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-may-be-a-bone-marrow-donor/528499/21 "2010-02-12T03:37:38Z")
> [@](#): > > So, it is case-by-case I guess. They can get more O pos (or whichever blood type) from millions of people, so they err on the side of extreme caution when screening potential donors. Matching bone marrow is much much harder to come by and the potential recipients are usually extremely sick (i.e. will die without marrow) so they tolerate much ‘riskier’ donors. ---
**Author:** ![Surly\_Chick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ec9cab/32.png) [@Surly\_Chick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Surly_Chick)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2010, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-may-be-a-bone-marrow-donor/528499/22 "2010-02-12T15:43:36Z")
Well, I definitely don’t have malaria and I would think the mad cow would have developed by now so maybe I’ll be acceptable. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2010, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-may-be-a-bone-marrow-donor/528499/23 "2010-02-12T15:54:47Z")
I can’t believe you have to pay to register. There needs to be some government grant to cover this, or if not then they need to pass a law to fund it. I can’t see any congressman opposing this. I think I’ll contact my Senators today and tell them to get crackin’ and if they can’t fund it, at least make a noise about it. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2010, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-may-be-a-bone-marrow-donor/528499/24 "2010-02-12T16:11:15Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > I can’t believe you have to pay to register. There needs to be some government grant to cover this, or if not then they need to pass a law to fund it. > > I can’t see any congressman opposing this. I think I’ll contact my Senators today and tell them to get crackin’ and if they can’t fund it, at least make a noise about it. That does sort of stink, doesn’t it! I gather from the program’s website, they believe that if it requires money up front, they’ll only get people tested who really will follow through if called. At least, the payment is viewed as a donation so (if you itemize taxes), it’s a deduction. I’d think that a tax _credit_ would be a better way to go. You still have to front the money, but it’s a net zero-cost transaction. That might get a few more people to pony up. I’m just glad they relaxed on the rules about asthma. Back when the Allison Atlas drives were going on, we went and they turned me down. They did take **Typo Knig** though. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2010, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-may-be-a-bone-marrow-donor/528499/25 "2010-02-12T16:12:42Z")
> [@Nunavut\_Boy](#): > > They can get more O pos (or whichever blood type) from millions of people, so they err on the side of extreme caution when screening potential donors. > > Matching bone marrow is much much harder to come by and the potential recipients are usually extremely sick (i.e. will die without marrow) so they tolerate much ‘riskier’ donors. That makes sense - explains why they keep **Typo Knig** in the registry even though he had a small grade-zero melanoma removed 5+ years back. The blood donation people won’t touch him. ---
**Author:** ![PunditLisa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/4af34b/32.png) [@PunditLisa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PunditLisa)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2010, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-may-be-a-bone-marrow-donor/528499/26 "2010-02-12T16:39:14Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > I can’t believe you have to pay to register. There needs to be some government grant to cover this, or if not then they need to pass a law to fund it. > > I can’t see any congressman opposing this. I think I’ll contact my Senators today and tell them to get crackin’ and if they can’t fund it, at least make a noise about it. FWIW, I didn’t have to pay. I registered in conjunction with the local blood donation bank. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2010, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-may-be-a-bone-marrow-donor/528499/27 "2010-02-13T07:44:27Z")
I didn’t pay, either. When people have donor drives to benefit a targeted patient, the costs are often covered. If you google it, you’ll find them. [BeTheMatch.org](http://BeTheMatch.org) says that they often have enough donations to make it free, too. ---
**Author:** ![Tequila\_Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/41988e/32.png) [@Tequila\_Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tequila_Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-may-be-a-bone-marrow-donor/528499/28 "2010-02-16T18:02:46Z")
For the past several years, they have done a drive centered around Mother’s day, and the fees are often waived during that time. In 2006 I was called up as a possible match after more than a decade on the list. I went through all the testing and was deemed the best possible match. Unfortunately, my intended recipient succumbed to his non-hodkins lymphoma before I could donate. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-may-be-a-bone-marrow-donor/528499/29 "2010-02-16T18:05:52Z")
I signed up during a donor drive as well, so I didn’t pay. ---
**Author:** ![Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9d8465/32.png) [@Swallowed\_My\_Cellphone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swallowed_My_Cellphone)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2010, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-may-be-a-bone-marrow-donor/528499/30 "2010-02-16T18:18:50Z")
> [@Markxxx](#): > > I can’t believe you have to pay to register. There needs to be some government grant to cover this, or if not then they need to pass a law to fund it. Joining the Registry is free in Canada. Plus, they will reimburse you for expenses if, for example, you live in a small community and have to travel to a big city for the donation procedure. They will reimburse travel and accommodation for you and a companion (who will be responsible for keeping an eye on your anesthetized self post-procedure). They’ve been canvassing regular blood and platelet donors. I’m still on the fence about it because they sent me a DNA swab package kind of thing. I got all tinfoil-hatty about the idea of my DNA profile being in some kind of government run database. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-may-be-a-bone-marrow-donor/528499/31 "2010-02-17T21:03:46Z")
Signed up in 1993, never been called, jealous of **PunditLisa**. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2010, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-may-be-a-bone-marrow-donor/528499/32 "2010-02-17T21:09:40Z")
Wow, I’ve been on the registry since 1989, when I was typed to see if I was match for my dad. (I wasn’t. He died quite soon following.) I have never been called. Since that time I’ve been a pheresis donor, which is also a need — have any of you on the registry investigated that? It takes a longer time commitment than a blood donation, which is why it is hard to get donors. I haven’t given in a while (due to longterm nursing of my son), but that’s over now so I need to give them a call. Good for you Lisa! So glad to hear of one of our own doing this! ---
**Author:** ![CutterJohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/91b2a8/32.png) [@CutterJohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CutterJohn)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2010, 6:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-may-be-a-bone-marrow-donor/528499/33 "2010-02-18T06:53:35Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > Since that time I’ve been a pheresis donor, which is also a need — have any of you on the registry investigated that? It takes a longer time commitment than a blood donation, which is why it is hard to get donors. I haven’t given in a while (due to longterm nursing of my son), but that’s over now so I need to give them a call.! Is that where you are hooked to a machine that centrifuges your blood? If so, I do that every time I donate. I go less often, and I don’t mind the longer wait, since I just take a book. They sure love my O-neg blood. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-may-be-a-bone-marrow-donor/528499.md?page=1)