SD Blood Bank offers bone marrow tests for those wanting to help Alan Cohen

SAN DIEGO (Press Release)–As described in a previous article, Alan Cohen, a New York father of two, suddenly diagnosed with leukemia with only weeks to live, needs a matching bone marrow donor to save his life.  For a transplant to be successful, both donor and recipient must match genetically.  Because patients are most likely to find a matching donor within their own ethnicity, healthy individuals of all ethnic backgrounds are encouraged to register.

The San Diego Blood Bank is asking healthy individuals between the ages of 18 and 60 to join the Be The Match Registry of National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP®) in order to help Cohen and the thousands of patients who are actively searching every day for a matching stem cell or marrow donor.

Right now, donors are able to join the Be The Match Registry by visiting any San Diego Blood Bank Donor Center (addresses listed below).  All that it takes to join the Be The Match Registry is a simple cheek swab.  To qualify to join the registry, you need to be between the ages of 18 and 60, be willing to donate to any patient in need, and meet the health guidelines.

Donors registering at the San Diego Blood Bank can join free of charge, thanks to  generous donations made by the Bone Marrow Foundation of San Diego.

For more information contact the Stem Cell Donor Center of the San Diego Blood Bank at 1-800-4MY-SDBB (800-469-7322) or by visiting www.sandiegobloodbank.org/bonemarrow/
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Preceding provided by the San Diego Blood Bank