Did you know? Every three minutes, someone in the US is diagnosed with a form of blood cancer, such as leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, or sickle cell.
Expert treatment close to home
As an academic medical center and a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, The University of Kansas Cancer Center offers the latest techniques and treatments — like blood and marrow transplants — to help patients fight cancer and reduce side effects.
Their team of BMT and cellular therapeutic specialists have performed thousands of stem cell transplants — they’re the region’s largest and most experienced BMT program .
A best-in-the-world registry that saves lives
For every 12,000 patients diagnosed with blood cancers each year, just 30% have a fully matched relative who could donate marrow.
This is why the cancer center partners with Be The Match Registry , which matches blood and marrow donors to patients in need, so critical to saving lives and improving outcomes. It’s the most diverse marrow registry in the world.
Are you a match?
If you’re between the ages of 18-40, you can join the Be The Match Registry and potentially save a life.
Here’s how the process works:
- Join the Be The Match Registry . Donors must meet specific medical requirements (including general health restrictions) to be eligible.
- Swabbing your cheek is the first step in becoming a potential lifesaver. Donors receive a cheek cell swab to determine their tissue type, which is then stored in the registry (Note: The swab is not part of the actual donation).
- If you’re a match, the Be The Match team will contact you for more information about the two ways you can donate. About 90% of donations are done through peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) donation, which is a non-surgical procedure to collect blood-forming cells for transplants.
If you need a stem cell transplant, you’re not responsible for finding your own donor. If you require a matching donor for BMT, your transplant team at The University of Kansas Cancer Center will find a donor for you, whether that’s from a sibling or from someone on the registry — like donor Levi Korneli . After being contacted by the registry, Levi traveled from Chicago to Kansas City in a selfless act to help change someone’s life. Bonus: Be The Match covers all expenses, which means it’s completely free to donate.
Learn more below or by texting “KUCC” TO 61474. Become a BMT donor.
Be The Match by the numbers
- 41 million. The number of potential donors Be The Match provides access to for every donor search.
- 7,054. The number of lives impacted through cellular therapy in 2022.
- 125,000+. The number of lives Be The Match has impacted since 1987.
- Odds of finding a match: Black or African American: 29%; Asian or Pacific Islander: 47%; Hispanic or Latino: 48%; Native American: 60%; White: 79%. African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Asian Americans, and Native Americans have a lesser chance of finding a match, so more donors from these groups are needed in the donor pool to help a wider population.
Quiz
Can you identify the myth about becoming a blood or marrow donor? Take a guess here
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