Bone marrow donation can save the lives of patients with leukemia or other blood diseases.
As an affiliate of the National Marrow Donor Program, UT Southwestern Medical Center helps connect patients with a donor match through the Be the Match Registry®.
For more information on how to become a bone marrow donor, please visit the National Marrow Donor Program.
Relative Donations at UT Southwestern
If a relative is interested in donating bone marrow to a patient, we’ll assess his or her suitability. If multiple relatives are interested in donating, we’ll generally test siblings first. If siblings aren’t suitable donors, we’ll test a patient’s children and parents. As part of the donor process, prospective donors come in for:
- A physical
- Lab work
- Discussion of their medical history
Donation Process
If it’s safe for a prospective donor to donate, we’ll use medication over the course of four days to stimulate the donor’s bone marrow. On day four, we attach two IVs to the donor’s arms and remove stem cells using apheresis machine. The procedure lasts four hours, and one to two sessions are usually required to collect the necessary bone marrow. There are no long-term side effects from the procedure.
