Patients need more people like Joey.
Joey is a lot of things, he is a musician, a healthcare worker, and a Minnesota Vikings fan. He is also a blood stem cell donor. Joey has always been someone who has wanted to help others. “I wanted to be on the registry because I have this desire to help people and you feel good when you help others,” he said. Years after signing up with a simple cheek swab, Joey got the call that he was a match for a patient in need and donated his blood stem cells to help save a life.
"I just wanted to be an example of someone who is Black and went through the process and I'm ok."
When it comes to matching patients with donors, DNA plays a key role. You are most likely to match someone with a similar ethnic background. Of the 22 million potential donors on the registry, only 4% are Black or African-American. As a result, Black patients only have a 23% chance of finding a match compared to a 77% chance for White patients. You have the power to change those odds by being some’s lifesaving donor.
Thousands of blood cancer and blood disease patients are waiting for you. You could be the one to save a life.
You can save a life.
With a few simple steps, you're on your way to making a big difference.
About Be The Match®
For people with life-threatening blood cancers—like leukemia and lymphoma—or other diseases, a cure exists. Be The Match connects patients with their donor match for a life-saving marrow or umbilical cord blood transplant. People can contribute to the cure as a member of the Be The Match Registry®, financial contributor or volunteer. Be The Match provides patients and their families one-on-one support, education, and guidance before, during and after transplant. Be The Match is operated by the National Marrow Donor Program® (NMDP), a nonprofit organization that matches patients with donors, educates health care professionals and conducts research through its research program, CIBMTR® (Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research®), so more lives can be saved. To learn more about the cure, visit BeTheMatch.org or call 1 (800) MARROW-2.