Registering to Be The Match Could Help Communities of Color Fight Blood Cancers
Earlier this month, CNN shared the story of California mom Kimberly Crompton, whose 14-year-old son is battling a rare blood cancer called Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML). Despite being devastated by her son’s diagnosis, Crompton has turned to the Black community to register as bone marrow donors.
Crompton’s son Jehvan desperately needs a bone marrow transplant to survive his cancer. However, his chances of finding a match are complicated. CNN reported that his parents are only half matches, while his siblings are not a match. Sadly, Jehvan is not alone.
Black people have the smallest likelihood of finding a bone marrow donor, according to the Be The Match foundation. Black patients are only 23 percent as likely to find a match, as opposed to white patients who have a 77 percent chance. The situation is only a little better for Asian or Pacific Islander patients (41 percent), Latinx patients (46 percent) and Native American patients (57 percent).
Like any other parent, Crompton is doing everything in her power to get her son the donation he needs while raising awareness about others like him. In February, the tenacious mother held a bone marrow drive. Her family’s efforts have led to more than 13,000 registrants joining the bone marrow registry, Bakersfield.com reported.
Reading Jehvan and his mother’s story hit close to home. My own mom received a lifesaving — albeit temporary — bone marrow transplant that cured her of her Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). But the journey to get a perfect match was far from easy. Like Jehvan, my mom struggled to find a match for her transplant. Doctors were forced to open the search internationally and were finally able to find my mom’s match in Argentina.
Sadly, my mom didn’t get to thank her bone marrow donor for giving her extra time with her family. In December 2017, she passed away when her earlier endometrial cancer returned with a vengeance and spread to her lymph nodes and brain. Despite the bone marrow transplant not being victorious against her battle with cancer, it allowed her (and us) to spend some more time together. I know that I will forever be grateful for that extra time.
For blood cancer patients like Jehvan and my mom, it’s crucial that members of our community sign up to become bone marrow donors. People have the best chance of finding a donor among people of the same ethnic background. And in order to give them the best chance, it is up to us to sign up to be a donor.
Donating bone marrow is unlike donating other vital organs and more complex than simply donating blood. According to Be The Match, there are two donation methods: peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) and marrow.
A PBSC donation is a non-surgical procedure during which blood is removed from the donor’s arm and passed through a machine to separate blood-forming cells. The remaining blood is then returned to the donor’s other arm. Bone marrow donation is more complex as it’s a surgical procedure involving needles to withdraw liquid marrow from the back of the donor’s pelvic bone.
Signing up to become a donor is an important decision and can be potentially life-saving for donor recipients. The process is fairly easy. Potential donors just need to swab to join Be The Match’s registry. The chances of then being asked to donate are slim, about 1 in 430.
To join the Be The Match registry, click here. You can also donate or spread awareness by visiting the Be The Match website here.