National bone marrow registry needs your help

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Parker Gyokeres
  • 23rd Wing Public Affairs
MOODY AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. --  Team Moody members will soon have an opportunity to participate in a program that could potentially save a life. 

The bone marrow registry drive, scheduled for 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday at the Freedom I Fitness Center, may provide the only hope for many suffering from leukemia, anemia and many other blood diseases, said Master Sgt. Justin Davis, Moody's marrow drive coordinator. 

"The process is free, only takes a few minutes, and involves rubbing a cotton swab inside the cheeks and filling out a short registration card for the national database," he said. 

All active duty military and their family members, Department of Defense civilian employees, National Guard and Reserve members are eligible to register. Potential donors should be between 18 to 60 years of age and in good general health. 

An estimated 30,000 children and adults in the United States are diagnosed each year with leukemia, aplastic anemia or other fatal blood diseases, according to the C. W. Bill Young DOD Marrow Donor Center in Washington D.C. 

Because tissue types are inherited and are unique to certain races or ethnicities, a patient's best chance of survival is within his or her ethnic and racial group. 

Since 75 percent of patients in need of a marrow transplant cannot find a match within their own family, a strong national database is essential for identifying potential donors, said Master Sgt. Brian Smith, 23rd Medical Group laboratory NCO in-charge. 

The larger and more diverse the National Marrow Donor Registry becomes, the greater the chance of finding a life saving match, he said. 

"Once a person registers, that's the end of it unless the computer finds a potential match," said Sergeant Smith. "If a person is ever identified as a possible candidate, they will be contacted for further blood testing. If this test indicates they are the best match, they receive detailed information about the donation process and a thorough physical exam." 

For Capt. David Armitage, a recent bone marrow donor and F-15E pilot assigned as an inter-service instructor pilot at Pensacola Naval Air Station, Fla., registering with the program was a way to show support for his unit. 

"A few years ago, the daughter of one of the crew chiefs in my squadron was diagnosed with leukemia and needed a bone marrow transplant," said Captain Armitage. "The entire squadron decided to register as a way of showing their support." 

In October 2006, the instructor pilot was selected to be the marrow donor for a 16-year-old girl with leukemia. 

"The donation process itself is rather simple; I was flown to D.C. for a small surgical procedure to withdraw about 5 percent of the marrow from my pelvis with a special needle," said Captain Armitage. "The two incisions were so small, the doctors didn't even use stitches. 

"The next day I was sore, but in a couple of days I felt fine," he continued. "The center told me the girl has since been given a clean bill of health; that feels incredible to me." 

The donors' marrow naturally replenishes itself within a few weeks, according to the C.W. Bill Young Center. 

For Captain Armitage, the concept that you can save a life with only a single cotton swab is amazing. 

"In the civilian world, a person must pay up to $50 to register for this national database, but it's free in the military," he said. "The more people we get into this national registry, the more peoples lives we can save. Why wouldn't you want to be a part of that?"