Preparing for your donation:

1.    If you match a patient, we will contact you to ask if you are willing to donate. If you agree to proceed, we will ask you about your health and
schedule more testing to see if you are the best match for the patient.
2.    If you are the best match, you will participate in an information session. You will be given detailed information about the donation and recovery process, including risks and side effects. If you agree to donate, you will sign a consent form.
3.    Next, you will have a physical examination to make sure that donation is safe for both you and the patient.

Your Donation:
There are two methods of donation. The patient's doctor chooses the donation method that is best for the patient.

• Bone marrow donation is a surgical procedure in which liquid marrow is withdrawn from the back of the donor's pelvic bones using special, hollow needles. General or regional anesthesia is always used for this procedure, so donors feel no pain during their donation. Most donors feel some pain in their lower back for a few days afterwards.

• PBSC donation is a nonsurgical procedure that takes place at a blood center or outpatient hospital unit. For 5 days leading up to donation, you will be given injections of a drug called filgrastim to increase the number of blood-forming cells in your bloodstream. Your blood is then removed through a needle in one arm and passed through a machine that separates out the blood-forming cells. The remaining blood is returned to you through the other arm.

For more information about the donation process, click here.