Saturday, March 22, 2014

Bone Marrow Drive FAQs

A few people have asked some good questions about joining the marrow registry, so I thought I would post answers here.


Is there a cost to join the registry?
No! It is FREE to join the registry, and the donation process is also FREE of charge should you be selected to be a donor. Your employer may even provide paid time off for the donation. More info here. However, Be the Match welcomes tax-deductible donations because it does cost $100 to process each person's swab kit, so every little bit helps.

Can I join the registry if I'm pregnant?
Yes! You can give a cheek swab sample while pregnant. However, if you are found to be a match for someone, you cannot actually donate bone marrow until you have fully recovered from delivery/C-section.

Is there a minimum weight requirement like with donating blood?
(Hopefully you already saw my own correction on this), but no, there is not a minimum weight requirement. However, there are maximum weight/BMI requirements that need to be met. More here.

What if I have a cold? Can I still join?
Yes! Recent infections from a cold/flu will not prevent you from joining the registry (provided you are well enough to come out)!

What about body piercings/tattoos?
Neither body piercings nor tattoos prevent you from joining the marrow registry.

Let me know if you have any other questions!

2 comments:

Gwynneth said...

I think some of the questions stem from blood donation. Registering just means they are taking a sample to see if you are a match. When it comes time to donate is when things like piercings and pregnancy etc may be issues. ~ Wynne

jaemom said...

Thanks for your comment, Wynne. Yes, joining the registry is only to determine if you are match for someone. With any body piercings/tattoos within the last 12 mos, I believe they are looking for any signs/symptoms of infection and make a decision after evaluation.