Leukemia, a cancer of the blood or bone marrow, is a disease that describes a noticeable increase of white blood cells. These blood cells spread over the bone marrow, where they eventually drive out the blood formation. A body that is affected by Leukemia therefore suffers from several deficiency symptoms, notably anemia. In the worst of all cases the disease is even likely to spread over other organs.
In 90% of the cases it is diagnosed in adults but it can affect every age, even babies. Finding a bone marrow donor is of vital importance for people suffering from this fatal disease. The donor has to be genetically similar but not identical to the person who receives the transplantation.
The process of donating
It is always heartbreaking to see adverts where parents are looking for donors for their sick child. People who want to start helping by donating bone marrow either have to give a blood sample or take a swap of their saliva. The sample will then be forwarded to a laboratory where the genetic material is classified.
The genetic data will then be registered in a database for bone marrow donors and compared to that of a person in need. There are about 15.3 Million willing donors registered worldwide, the number might appear big but this does not automatically mean that there is a donor for every person suffering from leukemia.
Leukemia is the 11th most common cause of cancer-related death in the world, leukemia patients depend on our help: on our bone marrow.
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