Join the Marrow Donor Program
How to Join the Donor Registry
You can join the NMDP registry as a potential donor if you are between the ages of 18 and 60 and are in good general health.
Joining the donor program is a simple process and requires only a small donation of saliva (through a buccal swab) and completion of our donor consent form. We will test your donated sample for your Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) type.
Your HLAs are proteins on the white blood cells that make your tissue unique. We test your A, B, C and DR proteins, which are used to match patients and donors for marrow and PBSC transplants.
Your commitment as a donor
Becoming a volunteer donor is a serious commitment. If you join the registry you are asked to stay committed to donating to any anonymous patient, anywhere in the world, regardless of the patient's sex, age, race or ethnicity. You will remain on the registry until your sixty-first birthday.
Sometimes a potential donor who is successfully matched with a patient may decide not to go forward with the procedure. There are many reasons for saying no, including illness, amount of time involved, changes in your life, or even fear of the donation process. As a volunteer, the donor is under no form of legal obligation.
However, because a late decision not to donate can be life threatening to the patient, we ask that you seriously consider the commitment you are about to make before you join the donor registry. Changing your mind at the last minute may be fatal to the patient awaiting the transplant.
Many people contacted to be marrow or PBSC cell donors experience some hesitation, which is perfectly natural, as donation is a serious commitment. But, most decide to go ahead with the procedure once they balance all the facts and consider what their decision will mean to themselves and the recipient.
You can join the donor registry by making an appointment and coming in to Dana-Farber. If you are outside of Boston but live in New England, we can send you a buccal swab kit which you can complete at home.
If you are outside of New England, please visit this site to find the donor center closest to you. If there is no donor center in your area, we can register you as a distant donor.
We also host marrow drives throughout New England. Please check our calendar for a listing of upcoming donor drives.
Please also consider joining the NMDP through platelet donation at our Kraft Family Blood Donor Program. Platelets are a component of the blood that causes clotting. They are essential to the treatment of individuals fighting cancers such as leukemia and lymphoma, patients undergoing chemotherapy, recipients of organ transplants, and those who suffer loss of blood during surgery.
Platelets have a shelf life of only five days, so new donors are always needed. By becoming a platelet donor, you can help patients now.
When you donate platelets three times at Dana-Farber, the donor program offers the opportunity to register you in the NMDP. There is no cost when joining the NMDP through the platelet donor program.
Learn more about platelet donation at the Kraft Family Blood Donor Center
Cost to join the donor registry
The cost of HLA testing varies by testing location. We ask for a donation of $52 to help cover these costs. If you are unable to make a donation, there are other options to cover the cost of the tissue typing.
If you have health insurance within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts or the State of Rhode Island, or the State of New Hampshire, the cost of the test may be covered. Please check with your insurance company. Deductibles and co-insurance do apply.
If you do not have applicable health insurance, we may have funding available to pay for your tissue typing. Often, we receive financial support from donors and other organizations that help us cover some HLA typing costs. Please contact us to discuss available funding.
After the initial typing and registration to join the NMDP registry, there is no cost to the donor at any time. If you are identified as a donor match for a patient, all medical and non-medical expenses as a result of your marrow or PBSC donation will be covered by the NMDP and the patient's insurance.
