01/26/2001

National Donor Day

Just a reminder that February 10, 2001, is National Donor Day in the United States. This is the largest one-day blood drive, and it also encourages people to register as organ and bone marrow donors. It was begun by Saturn Corporation.

For more information, go to the following URLs:

• http://www.saturnuaw.com/filecabinet/Satfile/national.htm

• http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/2231.html

The Associated Press (AP) printed the following information about bone marrow donations.

Yale-New Haven Hospital and the New England Marrow Donor Program are two places where donors can register and give a sample of their blood.

Bone marrow transplants are performed to treat types of cancer such as leukemia and lymphoma. They also are being done on an experimental basis to treat sickle-cell anemia, a blood disease that disproportionately affects blacks, said Dr. Dennis Cooper, executive director of the Bone Marrow-Stem Cell Transplant Program at Yale-New Haven Hospital.

The donor's immune system must be compatible with the patient. Usually, a sibling is the best hope for a match, but strangers who have signed up with a bone marrow registry also may be compatible.

International registries maintain a list about 4.1 million potential donors. Of that number, only about 328,000 are black, 338,000 are Hispanic and 247,000 are Asian. The small number of minority donors is a problem, since an appropriate donor usually comes from a patient's own racial or ethnic group. My friend happens to be white, but donors are needed from all races and ethnic groups.

"Give the most outstanding gift ever," said Cooper, "the gift of life."

People who would like to be bone marrow donors simply give a blood sample, which goes on file. If a potential match is found, the donor will be called and more tests will be done to see if the donor is a good match. To donate, a doctor extracts the marrow from the donor's hipbone. The operation is done in the hospital under general anesthesia.

Usually, the donor experiences soreness or pain and needs a day in the hospital to recuperate, but sometimes the pain and soreness can persist for several days or weeks. The donor's bone marrow grows back in a few weeks, and the donor is at no risk for infections or medical problems because of the donation, Cooper said.

The donated marrow is administered to the patient (recipient) intravenously.

For the many people who are waiting for a life-saving organ, blood or bone marrow match, please consider becoming a blood, organ or bone marrow donor. If you have any questions about whether you should make such a donation, be sure to discuss those questions with your physician.

Please send questions or comments to bbruno@snet.net.