Bone marrow donations

Friends and family have kindly expressed interest in being tested in order to see if they could be a match for Scott’s marrow transplant. 

Thank you. 

As it happens, the transplant team isn’t able to cherry pick from potential donors. Scott’s brother Jeff will be typed, and if he’s a match, then he will be Scott’s donor. But I for instance can’t get typed exclusively for Scott’s transplant. I would be added to the Bone Marrow Donors Worldwide registry and only in the unlikely case that I was a match for Scott would I be his donor. But the chances are higher of me being a match for a female stranger oversees.

Kristine explained that based on his age and background (Caucasian-European descent), Scott’s chances of being matched with a worldwide bank donor are excellent. If his chances were poor of finding a match, or if the bank fails to provide a match, at that time Scott’s medical team would advise all of his family and friends to get tested just to increase the available options.

But if you’re looking for a way to kill an hour and help save a life, consider donating blood. Scott’s had his share of transfusions (blood and platelet), and this process so far has certainly made us appreciate the importance of this gift. 

EDIT: If you’re interested in getting tested in hopes of being added to the database, visit http://www.bmdw.org for more information. Being a donor in any capacity (blood, marrow, organ etc) is so amazing and selfless. Though you probably won’t be Scott’s donor, you could change the world for another special person that has their own team of people depending on having them healthy again.