I try to stay informed of the most current developments in the news including the occasional celebrity and entertainment gossip. And on occasion, these developments are more than just gossip but are actual developments that can be important to the welfare of many of us. E-news featured an article detailing that news anchor, Robin Roberts of Good Morning America, needed to take time off from the morning show for treatment of Myelodysplastic Syndrome.

Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) is loosely defined as a stem cell disorder that has a high propensity to become leukemia. It is usually the result of exposure to chemicals that are toxic to blood cells (i.e. Chemotherapy, which Robin Roberts underwent for treatment of Breast Cancer five years ago). Most patients who experience bad outcomes of MDS is due to bone marrow failure causing the body to inadequately produce enough blood cells for circulation, clotting, as well as cells needed to fight off infections. While this disorder is very difficult to treat or cure, bone marrow transplantation has shown some promise for being an effective treatment.

Which leads me to one of the major issues at hand, bone marrow donation. There is a national shortage of bone marrow donors in this country, particularly among minority populations (African Americans, Asians, Hispanics, and mixed race heritages). Bone marrow is tissue found between the bones that produces blood cells. Bone marrow transplants are not only important therapy in MDS but can also be used for treatment and/or cure in a variety of other cancers and blood disorders including sickle cell anemia, which is a prevalent disorder in minority communities.

Diseases treatable with Bone Marrow Transplantation (from Be The Match):

Leukemias and lymphomas, including:

Acute myelogenous leukemia
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Chronic myelogenous leukemia
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia
Juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia
Hodgkin lymphoma
Non-Hodgkin lymphoma
Multiple myeloma and other plasma cell disorders

Severe aplastic anemia and other marrow failure states, including:

Severe aplastic anemia
Fanconi anemia
Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH)
Pure red cell aplasia
Amegakaryocytosis / congenital thrombocytopenia

SCID and other inherited immune system disorders, including:

Severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID, all sub-types)
Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome

Hemoglobinopathies, including:

Beta thalassemia major
Sickle cell disease

Hurler’s syndrome and other inherited metabolic disorders, including:

Hurler’s syndrome (MPS-IH)
Adrenoleukodystrophy
Metachromatic leukodystrophy

Myelodysplastic and myeloproliferative disorders, including:

Refractory anemia (all types)
Chronic myelomonocytic leukemia
Agnogenic myeloid metaplasia (myelofibrosis)
Familial erythrophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis and other histiocytic disorders

Other malignancies

According to the National Marrow Donor Program “just 7 percent of the nation’s 10 million registered potential bone marrow donors are African American.” If we were able to increase the number of potential donors, we could possibly enhance and save far more lives from being affected by the disorders listed above. The “Be The Match” campaign is striving to do this. Here is an article about their efforts to improve the number of minority donors. I first became aware of this program at the Essence Music Festival where I noticed their booth and took the first step to becoming part of the bone marrow registry. The process was fairly simple! All I had to do was answer some questions regarding the status of my present health (to make sure their donors are healthy), give them my contact information, and submit a swab sample from my cheeks. Then, you wait to see if you will be called upon to donate!

So, I encourage you to consider becoming a registered bone marrow donor. You could be just the person needed to save a life!

Websites for more information:
National Marrow Donor Program – http://marrow.org
Swab+DNA – http://swabplusdna.org
African American Marrow Connection – http://www.blackbonemarrow.com/