Be The Match: Bone Marrow and Blood Stem Cell Donation

Stan and Clarence chat with Rachel Rich about the importance of bone marrow and blood stem cell donation. Rachel serves as the Donor Recruitment Coordinator for Be The Match - a national registry linking marrow and blood stem donors with recipients - specifically focusing on diversity recruitment in Minnesota in partnership with Blue Cross Blue Shield Minnesota.

We encourage all eligible listeners to become potential donors. You can join the registry by simply texting bcbsmn to 61474 or by going online to https://my.bethematch.org/bcbsmn.

To connect with Rachel about potential Be The Match recruitment opportunities email her at rrich@nmdp.org

Rachael Rich

Donor Recruitment Coordinator at Be The Match (present)
Pursuing MPH in Community Health Promotion at University of Minnesota SPH (present)
Housing Case Manager at Avivo (previous)
Field Organizer at Democratic Farmer Labor Party (previous)

Research

Be The Match

Operated by the National Marrow Donor Program
Manages the most diverse marrow registry in the world/global leader in bone marrow transplants
Conducts research to improve transplant outcomes
Provides support and resources for patients
Can also donate cord blood

Transplant Basics

The purpose of a bone marrow transplant is to cure various diseases and cancer

Typically needed when the doses of radiation and chemotherapy are so high that they destroy the patient’s bone marrow stem cells
Could also be needed when bone marrow has been destroyed by a certain disease

Matching process is extensive

Involves HLA tissue
Finding a match can be difficult
Even harder if sibling is not a match
Donor’s blood needs to match or most closely resemble patient’s blood

Prep for donor is complex

Extensive evaluations, medical history intake, and physical exams
Surgically inserted catheter

Stem cells are collected from bone marrow harvest or peripheral blood stem cell collection

Bone marrow harvest: collects stem cells through needle placed in the soft center of the bone marrow

Takes place in the OR and patient is under anesthesia
Traditional approach

Peripheral blood stem cell collection: stem cells are collected via circulating cells in the blood

Peripheral collection is more common now

Engraftment of the stem cells happen when the donated cells make their way to the marrow and begin making new blood cells

Typically occurs around 15-30 days

Potential Complications

Infections
Low platelets and low red blood cells
Pain
Fluid overload
Respiratory distress
Organ failure
Graft failure
Graft v. host disease

Serious and life-threatening complication when the transplanted cells attack the recipient’s organs because the new cells don’t recognize the recipient
Cells can begin to accept its new “body” over time and with the help of medications

Why is this so important?

Recent story(10/17/22) on Good Morning America

34-year old woman needed a bone marrow transplant (for Leukemia) and her sister wasn’t a match
Doctor recommended cord blood transplant (these cords/cells are frozen in public banks)
Cord blood donation has been increasingly common for people of color

Only about 30% of black patients find suitable donors
"Treatment technologies, such as cord blood transplantation, is going to be incredibly important for us to be able to level the playing field and extend transplant access to patients regardless of their ancestry," (Dr. Juliet Barker, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City)