Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Crisco, Doyle co-host bone marrow drive at Capitol

HARTFORD - State Sen. Joseph J. Crisco, D-Woodbridge, and state Sen. Paul Doyle, D-Wethersfield, joined advocates at the state Capitol Tuesday to help kick off a Marrow Donor Registry Drive sponsored by Be The Match®.

“There is a lot of misinformation tossed around regarding marrow donation, and today is an opportunity to get the facts out there,” Crisco said. “The importance of marrow donation cannot be understated. Every four minutes a baby, child, or adult is diagnosed with a blood cancer like leukemia. For the many that do not have a matching marrow donor in their family, the Be The Match Registry® is a lifesaving resource.”

“Seventy percent of patients receive bone marrow from a complete stranger,” said Doyle. “With advancements in technology the process has become less time consuming and painless. Today is about connecting those in need with potential donors. There are a lot of misconceptions about donating bone marrow and events like this are able to provide clarity.”

Be The Match® connects patients with their donor match for a life-saving marrow or umbilical cord blood transplant. Those wishing to help the cause can be someone’s cure as a member of the Be The Match Registry®, or be a financial contributor or volunteer. Be The Match® provides patients and their families with one-on-one support, education, and guidance before, during and after transplant.

Be The Match is operated by the National Marrow Donor Program and for 25 years has managed the largest marrow registry in the world.

The senators were joined at the event by Jon DeCasanova, a student at Eastern Connecticut State University who shared his story of finding a donor match and receiving a bone marrow transplant.

Marrow donation can be done in one of two ways. The first option, a peripheral blood stem cell donation, consists of cells gathered using a non-surgical, outpatient procedure. 
The second option, marrow donation, is a surgical, usually outpatient, procedure using anesthesia.


This is a press release from Crisco's office.

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