Minneapolis - March 2011
The National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) headquarters is a prominent part of its community, and the diversity of its Northeast Minneapolis is a perfect place to begin to diversify the registry. Caucasians compose 75% of the registry and even they have a difficult time finding a match. For minority patients seeking a match, the chances are significantly lower.

Kristine Reed, an employee at the NMDP, was once a gorilla researcher at the Los Angeles Zoo. She was diagnosed with leukemia, and had to discontinue her work with animals because of her weakened immune system. Reed now volunteers as a marathon coach to help raise money for leukemia and lymphoma. 

While other neighborhoods are considering how they can plan city-wide donor drives, the call for Northeast Minneapolis’ involvement is long overdue. Joining the registry takes a simple swab of the cheek, and has the potential to save a life like Reed’s.