What To Expect From Bone Marrow Donation

According to the Health Resources and Services Administration, over 18,000 Americans get diagnosed with diseases that require a bone marrow transplant annually. Unfortunately, only about 30 percent of these people have close relatives who are a match and can donate their bone marrow. The rest of them have to wait to be matched with someone who donates and it can take a while for Black people to be matched.  Who Needs A Bone Marrow Transplant Getting a bone marrow transplant can serve four purposes. The healthy cells can replace non-functioning bone marrow as in the case of sickle cell anemia, aplastic anemia, or leukemia. Healthy bone marrow can also regenerate a new immune system to fight the remaining abnormal cells that survived treatment with chemotherapy or radiation.  Another option is that the healthy bone marrow can prevent more damage from genetic diseases like Hurler’s syndrome. Finally, people who have had their bone marrow damaged by high doses of radiation or chemotherapy can have normal function restored by getting a bone marrow transplant.  A few other diseases that can be helped with a bone marrow transplant include lymphomas, multiple myeloma, immune deficiency disorders, and some solid-tumor cancers. How To Find Out...