I learned a scary fact this weekend
Well it's been a busy weekend. During my many appointments was a vendor fair sponsored by the performing arts school (my pet project for the year). Among the many vendors that were there was a young man representing the South Texas Blood and Tissue Center. He is the Marrow Donor Recruitment Consultant. He shared some facts and figures with us and I'm sharing them with you now.
This blog is of importance mainly to minorities. If you are Caucasian please stick around and read this also since there's still some of you that can benefit too.
Some of the statistics:
Among Blacks and Hispanics nearly 8 out of 10 people with deadly blood diseases die from those diseases.
Only 7.9% of blacks are listed on the marrow donor list, Hispanics 8%. Other minority groups don't even reach that small percentage. Caucasians run about 75%.
Why are those statistics important? The explanation is simple, according to the National Marrow Donor Program:
Race and ethnicity matter in tissue matches
Because tissue types are inherited, patients are more likely to match someone from their own race or ethnicity. Adding more donors and cord blood units from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds to the NMDP Registry increases the likelihood that all patients will find the match they need. Your heritage can make all the difference.
If you are from one of the following communities, you are urgently needed as a bone marrow donor or cord blood donor:
* Black and African American
* American Indian and Alaska Native
* Asian
* Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander
* Hispanic and Latino
* Multiple race
Becoming a donor is easy
All it takes is filling out a donor information form and doing four oral swabs and you are done. Your name is added to the list of potential donors. If you match a person in need, they call you and it's your option whether or not you donate to that person. But when you come up as a donor, that means out of all the names on that list, you and only you hold the key to saving a life.
Since donors are matched by DNA, you ethnic background matters. Only a Black can match another Black, Only a Hispanic can match another Hispanic and only a Caucasian can match another Caucasian.
I hope that you will all take a minute to visit the website and see how easy it is. I added my name yesterday along with several other people. I may never be called, but I am on this list. If someone matches me, I can give them a fighting chance.
This blog is of importance mainly to minorities. If you are Caucasian please stick around and read this also since there's still some of you that can benefit too.
Some of the statistics:
Among Blacks and Hispanics nearly 8 out of 10 people with deadly blood diseases die from those diseases.
Only 7.9% of blacks are listed on the marrow donor list, Hispanics 8%. Other minority groups don't even reach that small percentage. Caucasians run about 75%.
Why are those statistics important? The explanation is simple, according to the National Marrow Donor Program:
Race and ethnicity matter in tissue matches
Because tissue types are inherited, patients are more likely to match someone from their own race or ethnicity. Adding more donors and cord blood units from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds to the NMDP Registry increases the likelihood that all patients will find the match they need. Your heritage can make all the difference.
If you are from one of the following communities, you are urgently needed as a bone marrow donor or cord blood donor:
* Black and African American
* American Indian and Alaska Native
* Asian
* Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander
* Hispanic and Latino
* Multiple race
Becoming a donor is easy
All it takes is filling out a donor information form and doing four oral swabs and you are done. Your name is added to the list of potential donors. If you match a person in need, they call you and it's your option whether or not you donate to that person. But when you come up as a donor, that means out of all the names on that list, you and only you hold the key to saving a life.
Since donors are matched by DNA, you ethnic background matters. Only a Black can match another Black, Only a Hispanic can match another Hispanic and only a Caucasian can match another Caucasian.
I hope that you will all take a minute to visit the website and see how easy it is. I added my name yesterday along with several other people. I may never be called, but I am on this list. If someone matches me, I can give them a fighting chance.
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Comments (8)
Cheryl Baumgartner12
Medical Billing/Coding/Insurance
Thanks Jeff,
Now let's all get listed!
Jeff Greene8
Online Marketing Specialist/Consultant
Very worthwhile info, Cheryl! :)
Cheryl Baumgartner12
Medical Billing/Coding/Insurance
This is so true Jenny, had he not been there I would have remained blissfully unaware too!
Jenny Stewart11
I am galad that the Marrow Donor Programme sent someone along to the vendor fair. Like most people here, I didn't know uch about the criteria for donating and receiving bone marrow.
Hopefully they, and you , Cheryll, by writing this blog, have increased the awareness amongst the black,hispanic and other minority communities, that their bone marrow is so badly needed.
Until someone tells us - we don't know.
Cheryl Baumgartner12
Medical Billing/Coding/Insurance
It's a good thing to do and even if you are on the list the odds of being called are like 700,000 to 1. But each new donor increases the odds that a life could be saved.
Joseph Botelho15
Working on one project at a time.
Hi Cheryl,
How sad is that, not fair what so ever...........Thank you for bring this to the attention of all who read it. You would think that in 2008 the stats would have changed but it hasn't as you have pointed out it is really sad...............PEOPLE IN THE RIGHT PLACES SHOULD MAKE NOTE OF THIS..............and do something about it.
Cheryl Baumgartner12
Medical Billing/Coding/Insurance
Yes minorities are sadly lacking but there is still 25% of Caucasians not participating also. So we can all improve things
Beth Schmillen10
Cheryl,
this is very important information. thanks for letting us know.
I knew that minorities sometimes were dying at a higher rate from heart
disease and problems with high blood pressure but I didn't know
there was a special need for tissue donors as well...
thanks
Beth