(…) Participation in this drive and thus registration with the National Marrow Donor Program consists of simple swabs of the cheeks using Q-tips for a DNA test. DNA information is entered into this lifesaving donor program database. If a potential donor is identified as a potential match for David or someone else in need, he/she will be contacted by the donor program to have a small amount of blood drawn for lab testing.
If that person is then confirmed as a match, he/she will be asked to provide stem cells through a simple donation procedure where blood is taken from one arm through a needle and run through a machine, which separates the stem cells from the blood, and returned into the other arm.
Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS) are a group of diseases that affect the bone marrow and blood. Some types of MDS are mild and easily managed, which other types are severe and life-threatening. Mild MDS can grow more severe over time. It can develop into a fast-growing, severe leukemia called acute myelogenous leukemia. Stem cell transplant is the only treatment that can cure MDS.
In this treatment, the patient receives high-dose chemotherapy and/or total body irradiation to kill the cells in the bone marrow (including the abnormal bone marrow cells). The patient would then receive new functioning blood-forming stem cells harvested from the donor (…)
from http://www.nj.com/warrenreporter/index.ssf/2009/11/centenary_college_to_hold_stem.html
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