Donating marrow
From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.
Bone marrow makes blood cells, and some blood diseases can be treated – even cured – with bone marrow transplants. More than 30,000 people a year are diagnosed with these diseases, but it can be difficult to get marrow or the blood stem cells the marrow produces, for them. There aren’t enough donors, and the needs of the patient might not match what the donor can produce, even if the donor is a member of the patient’s family.
The director of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Dr. Griffin Rodgers, says most donations are as easy as giving blood. It doesn’t have to be painful. And he says:
“Seventy percent of people who need a transplant can’t find a bone marrow donor within their families. Your donation can save a life.”
Learn more at healthfinder.gov.
HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.