Washington D.C.Juliette Williams of the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) and transplant recipient James Politi were featured on My FOX D.C. to discuss the NMDP and Be The Match’s 25-year history, as well as the marrow donation process.
In 2008, Politi was diagnosed with leukemia, but received a second chance at life thanks to a marrow donation from a stranger.
Williams explained the processes for joining the registry and donating. The most common way to donate is a non-surgical procedure similar to donating plasma or platelets called peripheral blood stem cell donation. Another way to donate is the traditional marrow extraction method, where donor’s marrow is harvested from their pelvic bone. The recipient’s physician chooses the method that will be best for the transplant recipient.