We’re making dreams possible. So can you.
We need more donors like you
Many people who need a life-saving blood stem cell transplant don’t have a fully matched donor in their family. That’s when they turn to NMDPSM. We connect patients with donors like you to help keep their dreams alive—and have been doing so since 1987.
Every 3-4 minutes
someone in the U.S. is diagnosed with a blood cancer.
75+ diseases
can be cured or treated by a blood stem cell transplant.
70% of patients
don’t have a fully matched donor in their family.
Patient and recipient stories
St. Louis Blues superfan has victory over rare blood disorder
Laila, a young St. Louis Blues supporter, beat the odds when she received a transplant—and gained a new friend along the way.Give Cayden the gift of possibility
Leukemia has taken a lot from this 7-year-old—but not his fighting spirit. You could be the match that saves his life.
Becoming a donor
Ready to turn your innate goodness into a limitless, life-saving gift? Here’s how you can join the registry and possibly change someone’s life.
Donating bone marrow vs. donating peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC)
Healthy blood stem cells are needed to live. Different types of blood cancers or disorders can negatively impact these cells. A blood stem cell transplant takes your healthy cells and transplants them into the patient so their body can begin producing healthy blood cells again.
To obtain those healthy cells for the patient, you may be asked to give PBSC or bone marrow.
The importance of saying “yes”
When you join the donor registry, you make a commitment to:
- Keep us updated if your contact information changes, you have significant health changes or you change your mind about being a donor
- Respond quickly if you’re contacted as a match for a patient
- Donate to any searching patient in the world who matches you
- Be listed on the registry until your 61st birthday, unless you ask to be removed
Donating is always voluntary; you have the right to change your mind about being a donor at any time. If you decide you don’t want to donate, let us know right away. That way we can continue the search for another donor without dangerous delays for the patient.
Why ethnicity and diversity matter
Donors and patients are matched by their human leukocyte antigen (HLA) type. HLAs are markers found on your cells, and they’re inherited, half from your mom and half from your dad. Because of this genetic component, donors and patients are more likely to match if they have a shared ethnic background. We need to continue to grow the diversity of the registry to meet the diversity of our patients.
Update your information
If you’re matched with a patient, we’ll need to get in touch with you quickly, so please make sure your contact information is up to date. You can change your information by managing your donor profile.
Donate cord blood
In addition to PBSC and bone marrow, there’s a third way to donate: umbilical cord blood. The blood left in the umbilical cord and placenta contains blood stem cells. Instead of disposing of the umbilical cord after childbirth, you can choose to celebrate the new life of your child by donating your baby’s cord blood to potentially save someone’s life.