Be a Red Cross marrow donor - registry kits free through 12/18!

[kitanzi]

If you want to volunteer for something vital, if you want to help charity but have no money to give, if you want to do something really different to give a real gift of life, look at this. The Red Cross marrow donor registry gives people needing marrow donation the best possible chance with the widest possible range of donors to get a good match.

The catch, usually, is that the registry kits are expensive - over $50. Right now, however, some anonymous angel appears to have given them funds to cover the expense. You do not have to already be a blood donor to do this - that's just how they got my name. I lost one friend to leukemia years ago, and I have another one fighting bone cancer right now. I signed up as soon as I got this notice, and I hope you'll all consider it too, if you're medically able.

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As a Red Cross blood donor, you are already taking action to help save lives. Thank you! The American Red Cross is pleased to tell you about another life-saving organization and how you can help. The Be The MatchSM marrow registry offers you a unique opportunity to save a life by donating bone marrow to a patient in need.

Thousands of patients with leukemia and other life-threatening diseases hope for a marrow donor who can make their transplant possible. Seventy percent of patients do not have a donor in their family. They depend on the Be The Match RegistrySM. They depend on people like you.

Join the Be The Match Registry at join.marrow.org/ARC2C. If a promo code does not appear automatically in the online registration form, enter ARC2C.

Joining is easy. A simple swab of cheek cells is all it takes to be added to the registry. It's quick, easy and painless. Just complete the online registration and you'll get a kit in the mail.

Joining is free through December 18. You can join online at no cost because Be The Match has secured funding to cover the costs of adding new American Red Cross donors like you to the registry. This limited funding is available only through December 18. Please join now!

You have the power to help, the power to heal. You could be the one to save a life. Take the first step today.

Sincerely,

American Red Cross

Edit: Though the email was from the Red Cross, the small print at the bottom actually says the program is not theirs after all: "This communication in no way constitutes an endorsement, express or implied, of any product, service, company, or individual. The American Red Cross disclaims any responsibility, in whole or in part, for products and services offered or provided by the Be The Match RegistrySM operated by the National Marrow Donor Program® (NMDP). The American Red Cross is not affiliated with the Be The Match Registry or National Marrow Donor Program and has not evaluated the suitability of the information on NMDP's website."

Comments

[eeyorerin]

It's totally fun to sample your own DNA! And they send you a cool ID card after!

[jerusha.livejournal.com]

Thank you for posting this! My registration is complete except for payment - the code you posted covered the cost of donation, but they offer you an opportunity to make a charitable contribution to the program as well. That will have to wait until my credit card and I are in the same room.

[ex-serenejo.livejournal.com]

Whenever I see someone announce this, I like to encourage people to ask the RC to stop discriminating against healthy fat donors.

[patoadam]

I volunteered for this many years ago. One time I was a partial match for a patient. They completed my blood cell antigen typing and found I was not a good enough match. :-(

[grey-lady.livejournal.com]

One of the things I checked when I moved from the US to the UK was whether the American Red Cross wanted to keep my details on file for marrow donation (for which I was already registered). I was pleased to hear that they did; they said that if I were a match, they'd be able to arrange for the donation with a hospital in the UK and get it flown over.

[keristor.livejournal.com]

I read the title and thought "why do they want squash?" *g*

In the UK it is done by the National Blood Service, who only take marrow from people under 50 (not me) who are also blood donors (also not me, as I'm on blood pressure medication they don't accept my blood). Oh, and not if you have back problems apparently (that's me as well).

(It annoys me that I can't donate blood. I used to do it...)

[celticdragonfly.livejournal.com]

The same is true for me. I was hoping I'd be a match for the poor guy. I'm still signed up, maybe I will be some day.

Did you know that they don't have to stick a needle into your hipbone anymore? I just found that out.