State Representatives Michael Ferguson (R-138), Will Duff (R-2) and Stephen Harding (R-107) along with ‘Be the Match’ Registry are hosting a WestConn Marrow Donor Drive on November 9th.
The Danbury legislators are hopeful to get as many volunteers as possible to join the “Be the Match Registry” – the largest and most diverse registry in the world to find a life-saving donor.
The bill addressed significant barriers to bone marrow testing which is the cost to a potential donor. The legislation expanded participation in bone marrow donation and reducing this impediment by limiting the out-of-pocket cost to the donor. The bill would also ensure that bone marrow testing is performed in safe, accredited facilities, and that all results are shared in a secure, national database.
State Rep. Michael Ferguson became personally invested in the Marrow Donor Drive after having a friend develop lymphoma and saw the need for a bone marrow donor.
“You never know, you might be able to save someone’s life with one easy donation. By increasing the size of the national donor database we increase the chances of cancer survival for people that are suffering from this cruel disease; in fact, what most people may not realize is it literally takes minutes to join the registry,” said Rep. Michael Ferguson.
“Connecticut has made tremendous efforts in helping encourage more donors to join the National Marrow Donor Program increasing the likelihood that more patients will find the match they need and get a second chance at life,” said Rep. Will Duff.
All that is required to join the registry is a small amount of paperwork and a couple of painless swabs of the inside of the mouth. Individuals between the ages of 18 and 44 are eligible.
In 2011, legislation was signed into law (P.A.11-88) which increased the number of people tested and added to the donor list -- and thereby increasing the number of transplant matches found, as well as decreasing the amount of time patients are on the list before transplant -- would reduce the cost of the medical treatment that would otherwise be covered by insurance as medically necessary in lieu of transplantation.
According to the ‘Be the Match Registry’ every three minutes someone diagnosed with cancer like leukemia or lymphoma. For many of those patients the best hope for a cure is a mayor or stem cell transplant. And 70% of them will not have a matching daughter in their family they will turn to be the match to find their life saver someone like you.
Bone marrow transplant is an effective treatment for more than 70 life threatening diseases, including Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Leukemia and other cancers. In order for a bone marrow transplant to happen, a simple blood test must first be done to find donors with the closest bone marrow match possible, so the patient has the best chance of successful transplant. Some patients never find an appropriate match, and die while waiting on the list for bone marrow transplant.
Currently, it is very difficult for a patient to find a donor, simply because of improbability. Each year approximately 10,000 patients in the U.S. search the national database, which has 10 million participants, for potential bone marrow donors. However, just half of those patients will actually find a match in the database.
For more information visit the National Marrow Donor Program website at www.marrow.org