The U.S. Navy Band will be hosting a bone marrow registry drive Jan. 22 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Sail Loft, building 105/112. No appointments are necessary. An estimated 500 people in the DoD are diagnosed each year with fatal blood diseases. For many, a bone marrow transplant or platelet transfusion may be their only hope. Nuclear or chemical incidents require immediate matched platelets and/or marrow to reduce military casualties. Seventy-five percent of patients in need of a marrow transplant cannot find a match within their own family, so a strong national database is essential for identifying potential donors. The larger and more diverse the National Marrow Donor Registry becomes, the greater the chance of finding life-saving matches. The DoD established its own marrow donor center, the C. W. Bill Young Marrow Donor Center Program in Rockville, Md., to meet the special needs of the military. While donors through the DoD program join the NMDR, a separate donor management system offers a secure system to facilitate the process. Volunteers provide a self-administered oral swab sample and fill out registration and DoD consent forms. If a volunteer is a match, all testing, fees and travel expenses are paid for by the receiving patient.

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