Naugatuck Valley Community College Students to Host Bone Marrow Registry Drive at Waterbury Campus

Waterbury, Conn. – Naugatuck Valley Community College nursing students will host a bone marrow screening drive, a first for the College, on Thursday, December 4, from 12-3 p.m. in Café West, fifth level, on its main campus at 750 Chase Parkway.

“The drive is a simple process for those who want to help with this important program,” said Melissa Danaher, a nursing student at the College. “Donors may come to our College, have their mouth swabbed and fill out a few forms. They will be added to the bone marrow registry and, if they are ever a match to someone in need, the registry will call them. It’s a great way to help others and to raise awareness of this great need.”
 
The National Marrow Donor Program® (NMDP) helps people who need a life-saving marrow or blood cell transplant. The program connects patients, doctors, donors and researchers to the resources they need to help more people live longer and healthier lives. To achieve their mission, they maintain the largest listing of volunteer donors and cord blood units in the world through which they support patients and their doctors throughout the transplant process.

The registry also matches patients with the best donor or cord blood unit using innovative science and technology. According  to NMDP, every year, more than 10,000 Americans get life-threatening diseases that can only be cured with a bone marrow transplant from an unrelated donor. In many cases, the patients do not have a family donor and transplant is their only hope for a cure. Since it began operations in 1987, the NMDP has facilitated more than 30,000 marrow or blood cell transplants for patients who do not have matching donors in their families. On average, the program facilitates more than 300 transplants each month, with more than 3,700 marrow and cord blood transplants in 2007.

Patients diagnosed with leukemia, lymphomas or other blood cancers make up approximately 72 percent of transplants facilitated by the NMDP. The remaining patients undergo transplant to treat a variety of immune system and inherited disorders. Advances such as reduced-intensity transplants have made transplant a treatment option for more patients, particularly older patients. In 2007, 35 percent of NMDP transplants – nearly 1,300 transplants – were for patients aged 50 and older. Only 30 percent of patients in need of a marrow or blood cell transplant find a matched donor in their family. The other 70 percent may turn to the NMDP to search for an unrelated donor or cord blood unit. Lack of financial resources can delay donor searches or limit opportunities for post-transplant care. For patients who qualify for financial assistance, the NMDP offers The Marrow Foundation® Patient Assistance Program. In 2007, more than 1,100 requests for funds were approved and more than 4 million dollars were made available to patients in need.