Thank you for your support -- we are now well on our way to 1,000 signatures!

How You Can Continue To Help

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If you have not yet registered to be a stem cell or bone marrow donor, text 2CURE to 61474 or visit http://aadp.org/homekit/ to potentially save another person's life!  Registration costs are completely covered by a grant for those between the ages of 18 to 44.

Please continue to spread the word by sharing this update and petition, and encouraging others to join the stem cell/bone marrow donor registry to help save more lives!

Fact: Stem Cell Transplants & Bone Marrow Transplants Save Lives

Blood cancers and other life-threatening blood disorders can be CURED by stem cell transplants and bone marrow donor transplants. Surviving these deadly diseases should not be a matter of ethnicity and luck.

The racial disparities in the national Be the Match donor registry and donor registries worldwide are staggering and must finally end.

The Goal of Our Petition

We need to establish a national program to increase stem cell/bone marrow donor registrations linked to voter registrations as well as driver license and motor vehicle registrations and renewals.  

Americans are given the option to become organ donors when applying for and renewing their driver license and we need to do the same for stem cell and bone marrow donor registrations.

We need to establish a unified informed consent program throughout the United States whereby women giving birth are given the option of banking their babies' cord blood.

We have long-standing precedence for these life-saving initiatives.

As it stands right now, an overwhelming majority of expectant mothers and parents are unaware of this option and cord blood all too often ends up as medical waste.  In California, SB112 was passed into law to ensure that women are informed of their breast biopsy and treatment options.

Precedence for Informed Consent Mandate

Additionally, as we swab people to test for COVID-19, we can make available the option for cheek swabs or at least a handout to register to be a stem cell or bone marrow donor.

* Thousands of people diagnosed with a blood cancer like leukemia and lymphoma, sickle cell anemia and other life-threatening diseases need a bone marrow or umbilical cord blood transplant in order to live.

Race & Ethnicity Matter

Because the markers used in matching are inherited, patients are more likely to match someone from their own race or ethnicity. Adding more bone marrow and umbilical cord donors from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds to the Be The Match Registry increases the likelihood that patients will find the match they need.

Fact: Ethnic minorities, especially African Americans, are vastly underrepresented in the United States' national Be the Match registry.

Your heritage can make all the difference. If you are from one of the following communities, you are especially encouraged to register as a bone marrow donor or donate umbilical cord blood upon delivery:

Odds of Finding a Match Based on Ethnic Background

Black and African American: 23%

Asian or Pacific Islander: 41%

Hispanic or Latino: 46%

American Indian and Alaska Native: 57%

White: 77%

* Source: Asian American Donor Program; https://www.aadp.org/learn/need-for-donors/