Often times when a child relapses (the leukemia comes back),  their only treatment option for survival is a bone marrow transplant (BMT). Parents, family members and friends sometimes question why a BMT isn’t the first line of defense. The answer is simple.  BMT’s are extremely dangerous and can be fatal.  The chemotherapy drugs and radiation given to the child in preparation for transplant not only kills bad cancer cells, it also kills healthy cells and is extremely damaging to the child’s vital organs as well.

Saving a life doesn’t require any special ‘Super Hero’ training — it’s actually very simple — just sign up at Be The Match (cape not included).

About Be The Match®

Be The Match is a movement that engages a growing community of people inspired to help

patients who need a marrow or umbilical cord blood transplant. Be The Match offers the public

an opportunity to get involved by joining the Be The Match RegistrySM, donating umbilical cord

blood, contributing financially or volunteering time.

Thousands of patients with leukemia and other life-threatening diseases need an unrelated

marrow or cord blood transplant, and depend on the Be The Match Registry, operated by the

National Marrow Donor Program® (NMDP), to find a match.

Be The Match raises awareness and recruits hundreds of thousands of donors (adult and cord

blood) to the Be The Match Registry each year through a network of more than 100 local and

regional recruitment organizations and public cord blood banks.

The Need

Every year, more than 10,000 Americans are diagnosed with life-threatening diseases such

as leukemia or lymphoma, and their best or only hope of a cure is a transplant from an

unrelated donor or cord blood unit.

The need for transplants is increasing. Medical advances are making transplants a treatment

option for more patients of all ages than ever before.

Most patients (about 70 percent) in need of a transplant do not have a matching donor in their

family. They depend on the Be The Match Registry to find a match.

Chance of Match

Human leukocyte antigen (HLA) typing is used to match patients and donors for marrow or cord

blood transplants. (Learn more about how a match is made on our Web site.)

Because tissue types are inherited, patients are most likely to match the tissue type of

someone who shares their racial or ethnic heritage. Currently, the likelihood of finding at

least one potential match on the Be The Match Registry ranges from 60 percent to 88

percent, and depends on a patient’s race or ethnicity.

A patient’s doctor can contact the NMDP to search the Be The Match Registry, which provides

access to more than 7 million potential donors and 150,000 cord blood units, as well as

donors and cord blood units listed on international registries.

While many patients do find the life-saving match they need each year, more donors are

needed, especially those from racially and ethnically diverse communities to help all patients.

How to Join the Be The Match Registry

The public can join the Be The Match Registry in person at a donor registry drive or online at

BeTheMatch.org. To join, people need to be between the ages of 18 – 60, willing to donate to

any patient in need, and meet health guidelines. Registration involves completing a health

history form and giving a swab of cheek cells.

The total cost to add each new member to the Be The Match Registry is about $100.

Be The Match relies on financial contributions to help cover these costs. Contributions to

Be The Match FoundationSM help add more members to the Be The Match Registry, giving more

patients hope for a cure.

Other opportunities to support patients include donating cord blood, making a tax-deductible

contribution to Be The Match Foundation and volunteering time.

The Donation Process

If a member of the Be The Match Registry is called as a potential match for a patient, he or she will

be asked to give another cheek swab sample or blood sample to confirm that he or she is the best

possible match. The donor will also attend an information session to learn more.

Two ways to donate: Most donations do not involve surgery. About 70 percent of the time, the

patient’s doctor requests a peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) donation, which is a non-surgical,

outpatient procedure. If the patient’s doctor requests marrow (about 30 percent of the time), the

donation process is a surgical procedure performed in a hospital. General or regional anesthesia is

always used for this procedure. The doctor decides which method is best for a patient.

About Be The Match FoundationSM

Be The Match Foundation raises funds to help patients who need an unrelated marrow or umbilical

cord blood transplant find a donor and receive the treatment they need. Be The Match Foundation

works with individuals, corporations, other foundations and community groups to raise funds that

support three crucial areas: growing the Be The Match Registry to increase the chances that more

patients find their match; providing financial grants to patients who need help with treatment

costs; and funding transplant research to help more patients live longer, healthier lives.

Be The Match Foundation’s Patient Assistance Program

While a marrow or cord blood transplant is a potentially life-saving treatment for many

patients, it can take a financial toll on families. Often there is the temporary loss of at least one

income. And even with insurance, not all costs are covered.

Patients demonstrating financial need are eligible to apply for and receive financial grants to

assist with uninsured expenses associated with treatment, such as food, transportation,

temporary lodging, prescriptions and clinic co-pays, and insurance premiums for up to six

months after transplant. Without this support, some patients cannot receive the transplant they

need.

Each year, Be The Match Foundation provides millions in patient grants, but the need continues

to grow. Be The Match Foundation is aiming to raise a total of $1 million in supportive grants.

Through this campaign, more patients and their families can focus on healing.

Visit BeTheMatch.org/extreme and give patients one less thing to worry about.

About the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP)

The National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) is a not-for-profit organization entrusted to operate

the C.W. Bill Young Cell Transplantation Program created by Congress in 2005. As a leader in the

field of marrow and cord blood transplantation, the NMDP manages the Be The Match Registry,

facilitates transplants worldwide, conducts research to help transplant recipients live longer,

healthier lives, and provides education and support services to patients, donors and health care

professionals.

Our media relations staff is available to provide you with information or to answer questions you

may have, and can be reached 24-hours a day at 612-817-6442.

Please note the official name of our registry is Be The Match RegistrySM.