The Need for Donors

The Need for Donors
On any given day, more than 6,000 men, women and children are searching the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) Registry for a life-saving donor like you. These patients have leukemia, lymphoma and other life-threatening diseases that can be treated by a bone marrow or cord blood transplant. For many of these patients, a transplant may be the best and only hope of a cure.
We work to provide hope and deliver a cure to all patients in need. With your support, more patients can access the treatment they so desperately need.

Donation

When You're Asked to Donate for a Patient
Not everyone who joins the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) Registry will be called to donate to a patient. If you are asked, a patient's doctor has selected you as the best donor. You may be the one to save a life.Becoming a donor is a serious commitment. We will provide the information you need to make this important decision and will:
Schedule an information session
Answer your questions
Schedule a physical exam to make sure the donation is safe for both you and the patient
Guide you through the donation process
You make the final decision to become a donor. You may agree to donate or you can say no. We will respect your decision either way. For more information to help you decide, see:
Steps of Bone Marrow and PBSC Donation
Donation FAQs
About the PBSC vs. Marrow Clinical Trial – information about a clinical trial you may be asked to participate in when you donate
Additional informationOur information packets contain the materials listed below. You can download them now or wait to receive them at your information session. Do you have other questions? Just contact your local donor center. Now That You Are a Match (PDF) – Explains bone marrow and blood cell donation in detail. We will review these details with you and show the related video. Also in Spanish: Ahora que es Compatible (PDF). Available in other languages in print.
Opportunity to Participate in the NMDP Research Sample Repository (PDF) – Outlines how to participate in NMDP research studies designed to improve transplant outcomes.
Related Links:Research: Advancing the Science of Transplant
Now That You Have Donated (PDF) – Outlines what to expect after you donate bone marrow or blood cells, including your recovery and our follow-up efforts. It also explains how to get updates on the transplant patient. Available in other languages in print.
Additional Donor MaterialsOrder free materials for donors in English and other languages using the online donor materials order form.

HOW YOU CAN HELP ?

Join the Donor Registry
Life. It’s in you.Join the bone marrow donor Registry and give hope to patients everywhere.
When you become a bone marrow donor, you join the global movement of more than 11 million donors who stand ready to give someone a future.
Even with millions available through the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) Registry, there are many patients waiting and hoping, unable to find a matching donor.
You could be the one a patient needs.
Join nowToday, the NMDP has made it even easier to save a life. Join the NMDP bone marrow donor Registry online — Join Now.
Join in personOr you can join our Registry through your local NMDP donor center or recruitment group or at a donor drive near you — Join in Person.
Registering as a bone marrow donorUnderstand your commitment before becoming a bone marrow donor. Learn more about joining the NMDP Registry:
FAQs about Joining the Registry
Medical Guidelines for Joining
Myths & Facts about Bone Marrow Donation

NMDP commitment to cord blood donation

NMDP commitment to cord blood donationFor 20 years, the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) has matched donors and patients to facilitate bone marrow transplants and help save lives. Today, the NMDP is committed to partnering with cord blood banks around the world to build a strong network and inventory of high-quality cord blood units available to any patient who needs a transplant.
In 2006, the NMDP was selected by the U.S. federal government to operate the nation’s Cord Blood Coordinating Center. We are also conducting a research study on cord blood transplantation and patient outcomes. (Learn more about our network of banks in the United States — listed in Where to Donate — as well as international cord blood registries.)

Get information to help you make an informed decision

Get information to help you make an informed decision
Cord blood is changing lives today – Learn how umbilical cord blood offers hope
Options for cord blood – Understand your options
Cord blood donation FAQs – Find answers to your questions
Learn how to donate
How to donate cord blood – Get a step-by-step overview of the donation process, including your role, how cord blood is collected in the hospital and what happens at the public cord blood bank
Learn if you can donate – See medical eligibility guidelines for donation
Where to donate – Find out if your hospital works with a public cord blood bank and whether there is a public bank in your area

NEW Donate Cord Blood. Share Life

Donate Cord Blood. Share Life.
Before your baby is born, the umbilical cord is a lifeline. After birth, that lifeline can provide hope to patients with leukemia, lymphoma or other diseases.
After delivery, the umbilical cord and placenta are no longer needed and are often discarded. But the blood remaining in the umbilical cord and placenta is rich with blood-forming cells. These healthy blood-forming cells can be collected and stored so they can be used by a patient who needs them.
Donate cord blood and share life.