Celebrate Black History Month with Nordstrom

REGISTER TO BE A BONE MARROW DONOR.

Many people are fighting life-threatening diseases like leukemia and sickle cell anemia, and they need a bone marrow transplant to survive. Donor matches are critical, especially among minority groups. Only 7% of the 9 million Be The Match Registry® members are African-American. In honor of Black History Month, Nordstrom is helping raise awareness about the need for black donors.

For every person who joins the Be The Match Registry® through nordstrom.com/bhm from February 1–28, Nordstrom will support the cost of adding a new member to the registry, up to $75,000.

For more information or to learn how to register, visit Be the Match. Donor registration information will not be shared with Nordstrom.

Extreme Makeover Helps Bone Marrow Transplant Patient

Recently, ABC’s Extreme Makeover: Home Edition featured bone marrow transplant recipient, Joey Stott, a 34-year-old wife and mother. Even though Joey had health insurance when she was treated for leukemia in 2004, she is still paying off $40,000 in uninsured medical bills from her lifesaving marrow transplant. “I didn’t think about the medical bills while in the hospital and my husband didn’t either, but there was a lot to think about when I got home,” said Joey.

Joey found her donor match through the Be the Match registry, after none of her family members were a match for her bone marrow transplant. She also received help through the Be the Match Patient Assistance Program.

Are you a bone marrow donor? For more information about becoming a bone marrow donor, click here.

Are You a Bone Marrow Donor?

As this CNN article explains, "For minorities, the wait for a bone marrow match can be long." While there are 7 million registered bone marrow donors on the Be The Match Registry, the percentage of minorities who have registered is very small. In fact, Hispanic donors account for only 9% of the millions registered.

While all transplant success rates increase when patients find donors with similar ethnic backgrounds, that component is even more vital to increase the success rate for bone marrow transplants.

For patients like Melissa Delgado, who is of Puerto Rican descent, the wait can be especially long. She has been trying unsuccessfully to find a bone marrow match for six years. It is crucial for minorities to join the bone marrow registry so more lives can be saved.