NANCY'S BONE MARROW TRANSPLANT DONOR DETAILS

This is a dedicated post for all information pertaining to our search for a perfect match donor for Nancy's Bone Marrow Transplant. 

Although this information has already been included in the last two blog posts-- I am repeating it here once more for convenient access by any or all potential donors.

Because many of you have very kindly asked if there's any way you can be tested as a potential bone marrow transplant donor-- here are the key criteria and optimal conditions necessary for a perfect match:

1. GENDER AND BLOOD TYPE ARE NOT AN ISSUE. But like Nancy, you need to be of Eastern European Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry. Genetically speaking, that gives you the best chance of being in the right ballpark as a potential donor.

2. The younger you are, the better. Apparently, as we age, just like everything else in our bodies, our cells become less and less robust. So bonus points if you're under 40. But bone marrow beggars can't be choosers-- so if you're over 40, but passed #1-- you can still donate.

3. There are two primary ways to be tested. The first is called: 

BETHEMATCH.ORG   

Here's what you need to know going in. It's free to be tested on BeTheMatch, but if you become an approved donor-- it means you're available to anyone in need of a bone marrow transplant-- not just Nancy. What's more, if you're over 44-- the test costs $100. And regardless of age, it takes about 3-4 months to get results. 

4. The second option is a private lab, where you would only be tested as a potential donor for Nancy. That one is called: 

BONEMARROWTEST.COM

Even though it's reputable, the results are much faster, and the test is focused on an exclusive match for Nancy-- what bothers both of us about the service is that it costs $195 for anyone to be tested, no matter how young or old you might be.

Still... they're the best options we can offer to anyone who thinks they might like to be tested as a potential donor. And in either case, please include Nancy's email address (neufaway@mac.com) as well as our transplant supervisor Nicole Lim (nlim@coh.org) so they'll also receive a copy of your testing results. The address at City of Hope Hospital's Division of Hematology and Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation is: 1500 Duarte Drive, Duarte, CA 91010. Nicole's phone number and fax number are as follows: PHONE (626) 218-6286 FAX (626) 301-8362. And if you need it for your forms: Nancy's DOB is 11/7/63. You should be doing a buccal swab test.

5. What happens if you already know from reading the first four criteria that you're not a viable candidate? Well, there's still another option. Some of the younger folks reading this may have read #1 and #2 and thought-- "Hey, that's me. I might actually be able to help!" But then when they got to #3 and #4, they thought-- "Oh crap. There's no way I can afford that."

So if you'd like to consider sponsoring someone else's test-- you could add your name in the comments section below. Then if a younger candidate matching Nancy's ancestry would like to be tested-- perhaps we could pair them with you.

Again, if for any reason you can't or don't want to be tested-- that's perfectly fine. 

And if you're unable to sponsor someone else, that's alright, too. 

The fact that you've visited this blog and care about Nancy is more than enough.

But please do give us a heads up if you're willing and able to participate on either front. You can contact me directly at: tcallaway@mac.com.

THANK YOU.

WE LOVE NANCY.

AND ALL IS WELL.