Registering to be a marrow donor is an extremely simple and completely painless process.
Once a prospective donor is confident that they understand and agree to the donor commitment and meet the necessary medical guidelines, there are only two remaining steps before joining the registry:
The registration form is admittedly lengthy, but breaking the form down into sections will help show why it asks for each type of information. There are also several absolutely-must-have fields on the form that must be completed for processing, and we'll highlight those here.
Click on the image of each form to see a larger version. Required items are highlighted in yellow.
Must-have fields
- Full name
- Full address -- street, city, state, zip
- Telephone number
- Email address
- Social security number and/or driver's license number*
The first information used to contact you if you are indeed discovered to be a match.
* Due to privacy concerns many people are hesitant to provide SSNs. We understand completely. Please provide a driver's license number instead.
Must-have fields
- Are you hispanic and/or latino?
- Specified ethnic origin
Due to the significant need for minority donors, the specification of the donor's ethnic origin is extremely important.
Must-have fields
- Company name OR college name, if a student
- Employer city/state
- Work email address OR student email address
- Spouse full name
- Spouse telephone number
- Spouse email address
The employer and spouse information (if applicable) are recorded solely to contact you if you are a match.
Must-have fields
- Full name
- Telephone number
- Email address
The NMDP requests that you provide the contact information for two people who do not live with you. People move, change phone numbers, and change email addresses, and as a result your own contact information may not be enough to reach you when you're found to be a match. Those who live with you are more likely to move with you than those who do not.
Many people hesitate to include the contact information of others for fear of their contacts being solicited. The NMDP understands that this is a valid concern, and as a result takes privacy very seriously. Because it's so hard to recruit donors in the first place, the NMDP wants to make absolutely sure that they do nothing to break the trust between the organization, its patients and its donors.
Must-have fields
- All yes/no answers
- Additional details for any answers marked "yes", or other medical conditions not included on the form
To assure the safety of both the donor and the patient, the NMDP requires the completion of a brief medical questionnaire which is composed of yes/no questions. If any of the questions are answered "yes" the NMDP provides a lined area for written comments. Also, if donors have a medical condition or take medication that they think may exclude them from the registry, the NMDP asks that they share that information in the lines provided.
Must-have fields
- Printed name
- Signature
- Date of signature
The last step of the registration form is to read and understand the donor agreement. This section outlines the donor's rights and responsibilities and must be completed to register the cheek sample.
After the form is completed, donors move onto the cheek swabs!
Here's the fun part.
Upon successful completion of the form, prospective donors are asked to complete four cheek swabs in order to finish the registration process. The swab kits come with four barcoded, long cotton swabs. The swabs are used to collect cheek cells from donors, which are then sent off to be typed for Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) markers and entered into the bone marrow donor database.
Swabbing for 10-15 seconds per swab
- Swallow.
- With each provided cotton swab, swab the inside of your mouth for 10-15 seconds. It's okay to switch sides or stay on the same side of your mouth.
- Put the swab in the slits of the foam provided.
- When all four swabs are completed, seal the kit.
Once all forms and swab kits are collected they are sent off to the National Marrow Donor Program for processing. Registered donors can expect an official donor registration card to be mailed to their current address in six to eight weeks!
Swab kit, ready to be completed
Open swab kit, revealing four barcoded cheek swabs
Completed swabs, placed in the foam slits provided
Sealed swab kit, ready to be sent off with the completed form