Every day, thousands of patients are searching for a life-saving bone marrow donor – someone like you.

Natasha Collins, a 26 year-old medical student, and Matthew Nguyen, a 27 year-old pharmacy student, are in need of bone marrow transplants. Natasha’s mixed African American and Caucasian background and Matthew’s Vietnamese background make it difficult for them to find their matches due to the critical underrepresentation of ethnic minority and mixed donors on the registry.

If you experience trouble with the promo code, please go to www.matchnatasha.org for other easy ways to register for free. Joining is easy. Patients need donors who are between the ages of 18 and 60, in good general health, and are willing to donate to any patient in need.

 

Ethnicity is the KEY FACTOR

Ethnic Minority Individuals are particularly encouraged and needed to join the registry. As it stands, only 30% of patients of Asian, Pacific Islander, Latino, Black/African American and Multi-Racial descent are able to find a match on the current database.

 

Donation is Simple

The majority of donations do not involve surgery. The patient’s doctor most commonly requests a peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) donation, which is non-surgical, similar to platelet donation, and does not require a stay in the hospital.

 

Natasha Collins is an outstanding 26-year-old Yale medical student who is battling leukemia for the second time. At the age of 23, Natasha was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia. After two years of treatment, followed by a cord blood transplant, Natasha came to the Yale School of Medicine to pursue her dream of becoming a doctor. Unfortunately, during her first year as a medical student Natasha was re-diagnosed with leukemia. For questions and to offer support to Natasha and her family, please e-mail matchnatasha@gmail.com.

 

Matthew Nguyen was like any other healthy vibrant 25 year-old, full of life and ready to take on the world, until he was unexpectedly diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia in June 2007. He underwent chemotherapy for sixteen months, overcoming one complication after another, fighting for his life and ultimately reaching remission. Unfortunately, six months after his last round of chemotherapy, 3 days after he finished a 100-mile bicycling marathon, Matthew learned that he had relapsed. Everything is now put on hold again for Matthew, including school and marriage. www.teammatthew.org

Natasha, Matthew, and many people like them are waiting to find a match on the Registry.  We are asking you to be a match for patients like them.

Register to gain the power to save a life.

Registering is simple and takes as little as five minutes, and our online drive will allow you to register for free. You will be asked to fill out a basic form with your contact information and medical history (which remains protected), and then you will swab the insides of your cheeks with a kit that is mailed to your home. No blood draw is required. Cheek swabs are all that’s needed to register. Five minutes of your time today could mean a lifetime for someone in need.

 

Additional ways you can help

Share Natasha and Matthew’s stories with your friends and family, especially those of minority background. With a few e-mail and phone calls, you can get the word out about the importance of registering.

• Learn about the need for ethnic minority bone marrow donors from Yul Kwon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pY2bX1S0VpA
• Find a drive near you at http://marrow.org/JOIN/Join_in_Person/index.html
• Visit us on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=65568844747&ref=nf

MYTH: Donors have to pay for the donation procedure.