Help us complete our Girl Scout Silver Award project!
We are Cadette Girl Scouts from Michigan. After the loss of a student in our school district to Leukemia, we knew we wanted to do something to help others that may be in the same fight.
So many patients with blood cancers need a stem cell or bone marrow transplant to survive, and 70% of those people will rely on donations from a matching stranger in the global donor pool. Very few people we talked to knew about the bone marrow/stem cell donor registry, so we decided to make it our mission (and the goal of our silver project) to bring awareness to the registry and get people to sign up to help save a life!
We have set a goal of 100 donors and we would love to reach that goal with your help!
Registering is simple and free:
- Click register above or below to fill out the form - it only takes a few minutes.
- Swab your cheek at home - we'll send you a free kit with easy instructions.
- Stay ready - if you're identified as a match, you could be called to donate and save a life.
If you are found to be a match, there are two ways to donate:
Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Donation
About 90% of donations are done through a non-surgical, outpatient procedure similar to donating platelets. Blood is drawn through one arm and passed through a machine that filters out the blood stem cells, and returned through the other arm. This procedure typically lasts 4-6 hours. Prior to donation, injections are given to boost stem cell production.
Bone Marrow Donation
The other 10% are done through a 1–2-hour surgical procedure performed under general anesthesia. Marrow cells are collected from the back of the pelvic bone using a syringe.
Whichever method, you could be the one to save a life!