The Importance of Diversifying the Registry
Each of us is unique. That's what makes us special after all. Our culture, heritage, ethnicity, and ancestry all play a major factor in what sets us apart. But many do not realize how much of an obstacle it may play in the efforts of finding a match for ethnically diverse patients in need of a stem cell or marrow donation. In today’s blog post, we will be uncovering the importance of diversifying the registry and going over our July recap.
Every year, almost 200,000 people are diagnosed with a blood cancer or disease. However, over 50,000 lose the battle against what is otherwise a preventable disease with a life-saving marrow transplant. Most of the time, 70% of these patients diagnosed with a blood cancer do not have a matching donor within their own family; and because of that, over 3,000 people die every year. When it comes to finding a match for a patient in need, their ethnic background is important in predicting the likelihood of finding a match. In any case, a patient’s best chance of finding a donor may be with someone of the same ethnic background.
As of now, under the guidance of the National Marrow Donor Program, the Be The Match registry has nearly 2o million members. This is simply not enough. Less than 7% of the US population has taken the initiative to join the registry. Although this registry encompasses a vast majority of ethnicities, it is terribly disproportionate. Based on one’s ethnic background, the odds of finding a match for White or Caucasian patients is 77%. For American Indians and Alaska Natives, only 57% patients have the opportunity of finding a match. Falling short of that, those of Hispanic or Latino heritage have a 46% chance, while Asian or Pacific Islanders have a 41% chance. Lowest of all, Black or African Americans have merely a 23% odd finding their match. That being said, patients who are multiracial face the worst odds of all. Keeping these statistics in mind, it’s clear to see that there is an enormous difference between ethnicities and their chances of living through a blood disorder. Due to this, finding a match for ethnically diverse patients is difficult due to this lack of equal diversity in the registry. With this in mind, increasing the number of registry members from diverse ethnic populations is crucial so that we can find more matched donors of racial and ethnic minorities.
To this day for many, the donation process still has many stigmas surrounding what is otherwise a simple and almost painless process. This makes it difficult to add more people of diverse ethnicities to the registry. One of the main factors that hinders diverse additions to registry is the commitment that volunteers uphold. A significant number of those a part of the national bone marrow registry either choose not to donate or cannot be located when called to do so. But that’s where you come into the picture! Your ethnic background can make all the difference for a patient losing hope of finding a match. I encourage you —especially if you are of a diverse ethnicity— to take on this challenge. Please help us in creating a more equal opportunity for those suffering from a blood cancer or disorder.
July Recap
Welcome to the very first edition of the Mission Marrow recaps! In the first blog post of every new month, we plan on giving a brief recap of the events and updates that occurred the month before. Here’s our July Recap:
Throughout this month, we have been in the works of establishing ourselves as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. We have been doing our best to reach out to already established organizations in order to receive feedback and guidance on how to best approach this next big step. We have also set up a virtual drive with a local business fraternity from UT Dallas called Alpha Kappa Psi. Seeing that their age group fits perfectly within the required age range, we are eager to host this drive along with a giveaway for those who successfully swab and return their kit! Finally, we have been able to establish what you are currently reading right now: the Donor’s Digest, our weekly newsletter! If you haven’t already, please take a moment to look back at our previous posts. That about wraps up our July recap!
Be on the lookout for our next blog post on August 8!
