How To Donate Bone Marrow

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So like a true hero, you did the right thing: you registered to be a donor and put yourself in position to save someone's life. Now the call has come -- time to spring into action, Hero!

To complete this How-To you will need:

A willingness to undergo medical testing
A day to devote to the procedure

Step 1: Register and wait to be contacted

Register to be a bone marrow donor by visiting www.dkmsamericas.org. After a simple cheek swab, your name will be placed on a registry and you'll wait to be contacted in the event that you're a match with a patient in need.

Step 2: Take a blood sample and undergo a physical

If a match is found, you'll be asked to go to a lab where a blood sample will be taken to confirm your tissue type. You'll also undergo a physical exam to make sure you're healthy.

Tip: Don't worry, your appointment, lab work, and everything that follows, will all be arranged and paid for by DKMS.

Step 3: Find out how you'll be donating

A short time later, you'll be asked to donate one of two things: either bone marrow, or PBSCs -- Peripheral Blood Stem Cells. Each requires a different procedure.

Step 4: Donate blood marrow

Roughly 30% of donors are asked to donate marrow. In this case, you'll go to a hospital or donation center where doctors will withdraw liquid marrow from your back. You'll go home the same day. Your back might ache a bit after, but you should feel fine in a few days.

Tip: It's a common misconception that the marrow is taken from your spinal cord in an extremely painful procedure. It's NOT. You'll get anesthesia, and the marrow is taken from an area near your pelvic bone.

Step 5: Or prepare for PBSC donation

Roughly 70% of matching donors are asked to donate PBSCs. In this case, you'll be given protein for 4 or 5 days, which stimulates the stem cells in your marrow to circulate into your blood stream.

Tip: African-American, Native-American, Native-Alaskan, Asian, Native-Hawaiian, Hispanic, Latino, and mixed-race donors are especially needed.

Step 6: Donate PBSC

After you've received all the protein, you'll go to a hospital where your blood will be drawn through one arm, pass through a machine to remove the useful cells, and returned to your body through your other arm. It takes just a few hours, and you can watch TV the whole time!

Step 7: Congratulate yourself

Congratulate yourself—you just helped save someone's life! You really are a hero. How many people can say that?

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[colette2467]

They should have just said that anyone who's not white is needed. They named all the other races except white.

[ThisBlondeGotzBOOTY]

because the races she named usually have a rare type that are really needed.

[tommygirl20247]

@Anichols321 she said its not removed from you spinal cord

[xdwere1]

@robertito026 $125 for 25 cubic centimeters, $200 for 50 cubic centimeters, and $450 for 100 cubic centimeters

[lifeisgood070]

just a few hours. :-P

saving a life is worth it though

[robertito026]

how much does this pay?

[Anichols321]

Yeah that part where she says painful procedure where it's removed from your spinal cord.. now THAT shit hurts..

[CrazeKillen]

@mansonfollower15 blood pays? .. where do you live? XD where im from they give you a cookie and thank you and poof :P

[Mufasa20X]

I don't think you should get paid any certain amount of money for donating bone marrow. The fact that you're saving a life should be more rewarding then anything else. What if it were you, or your children who needed the bone marrow? Helping someone in need should be the reason you want to donate, not because you'll have extra cash in your pocket.

[gillmore718]

if they can guarranteed me no pain then fine...

[mansonfollower15]

how much does bone marrow pay?

blood pays,plasma pays im just wondering how much it pays bc i heard its extremely painful so id like to know if id get naything for don'ing