1
Join
If you are eligible, register through NMDP and complete the cheek-swab process.
A sounding board for bone marrow & blood stem cell donation
Someone is waiting for a match.
Most of us will never know what it feels like to wait for a stranger whose cells might save our life. But we can know what it means to show up. Learn why donor diversity matters, what donation really asks of you, and how to join the NMDP Registry.
Why diversity matters
Your ancestry can change someone’s odds.
Doctors match patients and donors using inherited HLA markers. Because those markers are passed through families, a patient’s best unrelated match is often someone who shares a similar ancestral background.
That is why underrepresentation in the registry matters. It is not about checking a demographic box. It can change whether a patient finds a fully matched donor.
29%Black / African Americanchance of an available fully matched 8/8 donor
47%Asian / Pacific Islanderchance of an available fully matched 8/8 donor
48%Hispanic / Latinochance of an available fully matched 8/8 donor
60%Native Americanchance of an available fully matched 8/8 donor
79%Whitechance of an available fully matched 8/8 donor
Donation support
You change a life. NMDP helps cover the cost.
A donation should not become a financial crisis for the donor. NMDP says donation-related costs are covered so donors can focus on the person they may be able to help.
✈TravelFlights, ground transportation and mileage.
⌂LodgingHotel arrangements for you and a companion.
◉MealsMeals connected to donation travel.
▣Lost wagesMissed pay from work can be covered.
♧ChildcareChildcare expenses can be covered.
♡Pet carePet-care expenses can be covered.
How it works
Three steps. One extraordinary possibility.
Joining the registry does not mean you will immediately donate. It means you are willing to be contacted if you appear to match a patient.
2
Match
If you appear to match a patient, NMDP contacts you, confirms details and walks you through what comes next.
3
Donate if called
Most donors give peripheral blood stem cells; some donate marrow. The patient’s doctor determines which method is needed.
One more myth worth breaking: NMDP reports that about 90% of donors give peripheral blood stem cells and about 10% donate bone marrow. Donation is not one single procedure, and donors are supported throughout the process.
Why we do this
We know what waiting feels like.
We have lived on the patient side of hospital rooms, long stays, frightening turns and the kind of waiting that changes the way time moves.
This page is not about making anyone’s illness into an inspirational story. It exists because somewhere, another family is waiting for a match. If sharing accurate information helps one more eligible person join the registry, that matters.
This is an independent awareness project by Inspired Spark Books. NMDP is not affiliated with, responsible for, or an endorser of this website.
Our commitment
5%
of every Inspired Spark Books book sale is donated to NMDP.
The reason we speak up is the need. The donation is simply one way we choose to stand behind what we believe.
Visit Inspired Spark Books →You may never meet the person you could match. They may never forget that you joined.
For eligibility, current requirements and registration, go directly to NMDP.
Join the NMDP Registry →