How to Be a Bone Marrow Donor

Your bone marrow can save lives. Learn how to become a bone marrow donor.

Bone marrow transplants (BMT) treat more than 75 diseases. For some of them, BMT is the only cure, but it can be hard for patients to find donors.

BMT requires an extremely close match between donor and patient — not just in blood and tissue type, but in biomarkers, too. In fact, 70% of patients who need a BMT don’t have a fully matched donor in their family.

Misinformation has made the donation process seem a lot scarier than it really is. The experts of USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of Keck Medicine of USC, share key facts about this misunderstood procedure.

Is a bone marrow transplant painful for the donor?

Bone marrow donation has come a long way.

In 90% of cases, specialists use a process called peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) donation, which is a lot like giving blood. The main difference is that the blood drawn doesn’t go straight into a bag. Instead, it passes through a machine that collects PBSCs, then returns to the donor’s blood stream.

In 10% of cases, marrow is taken from the pelvic bone, but patients receive anesthesia during the process. And many go home the same day.

How do I register to be a bone marrow donor?

Registering is simply a matter of sending in a cheek swab. Once you’re in the system, you could be matched to a patient within weeks, years or never. If a match is found, you’ll be interviewed to make sure you meet certain physical and mental health requirements.

Donors can always back out, for any reason — even on the day of their appointment.

Who pays for a bone marrow donor’s cost of procedure?

When people register as a bone marrow donor, they receive the full support of the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP, formerly Be The Match) throughout the donation process. This includes financial support covering travel and medical costs, as well as lost wages.

Bone marrow transplants save lives

Every three minutes, an adult or child is diagnosed with a disease treatable with BMT, including blood cancers, blood disorders, sarcomas, anemias and certain ovarian and testicular cancers.

For many, finding a bone marrow match can take months or even years, reducing their odds of survival. So having a large, diverse group of registered bone marrow donors in the national system is necessary to save lives.

If you or a loved one is living with a disease that requires a bone marrow transplant, or you’re curious about donating, our expert physicians can help.

Source: National Marrow Donor Program

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