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.
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.
The first step in finding out if you can be a donor is talking to your doctor. They can tell you if you’re healthy enough to donate. Generally, doctors prefer people who are between the ages of 18 and 35 but sometimes you may be approved up to the age of 45.
Next, you would contact the national bone marrow donation registry to start the process. A health professional will discuss the process of matching before collecting a cell sample from a cheek swab or your blood. These cells will be tested for human leukocyte antigen (HLA) typing – a protein that is used to match donors and recipients.
If there’s a match, you will undergo further testing to ensure that you don’t have any genetic anomalies that would affect your donation.
RELATED: Why More African Americans Should Donate Bone Marrow
Unlike organ transplants, ethnicity is an important factor in matching bone marrow donors. According to NMDP, Black Americans are the least likely to find a match when they need one. In fact, Black people find their match 29 percent of the time when compared to 76 percent of white people.
The lack of Black donors has a significant impact on how easily Black Americans can access the care they need for specific illnesses. For example, Black people are more likely to be diagnosed with sickle cell anemia than other ethnicities and yet if they need a bone marrow transplant, they may have to wait for some time to find a match.
There are two ways in which doctors can collect bone marrow cells. The more common procedure is called leukapheresis or peripheral blood stem cell collection. In this one, you’ll need to take specific shots for five days for five days before the procedure. These shots will help stem cells move from the marrow to the blood.
At the time of collection, some of your blood will be removed via an IV. The blood will then be sent through a machine that separates the white blood cells that contain the stem cells from everything else. Your red blood cells will be returned to you using another IV while the white blood cells will be given to the recipient at a later point.
Leukapheresis can take three to six hours and some people may undergo multiple sessions depending on how much bone marrow is needed. As with any procedure, there may be side effects so some of the issues you may experience include headaches, sore bones, and soreness at the sites of the IV needles. However, it’s usually an outpatient procedure that allows you to go home on the same day.
The second option is a bone marrow harvest, which is a minor surgery that has to be done under general anesthesia. In this procedure, a surgeon removes bone marrow directly from your pelvic bones. It should last for about an hour. You’ll remain in the hospital until you’re awake and can eat or drink. Some of the side effects of this procedure include nausea, headache, fatigue, and bruising at the site of the harvesting.
There are few risks to donating bone marrow but you can discuss these with your doctor.
Thousands of Americans need bone marrow transplants each year but they’re unlikely to find a match if they’re Black. That’s why it’s a good idea for you to talk to your doctor about donating. The process is simple and you could save someone’s life if there’s a match.
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