The Blood Center of Wisconsin, an affiliate of the National Marrow Donor Program, is hosting a bone marrow donor registry drive at UW Hospital and Clinics to increase the state's donor rolls and promote the importance of marrow donation.

Please note: The registry is open to people between the ages of 18 and 44.

Learn more about registry eligibility requirements

The registry drive is organized by UW Health's Hematology, Oncology, Bone Marrow Transplant and Palliative Care Unit in honor of colleague Kim Schuetz's 4-year-old son Austin, who is scheduled to undergo bone marrow transplant in January prompted by a leukemia relapse.

Why is it important to become a bone marrow donor? 

• Seventy percent of patients with aplastic anemia, leukemia, lymphoma or other cancers who need a transplant have no genetic matches in their families. Their lives depend on finding an unrelated donor who is a match.
• At any point 10,000 people need a bone marrow transplant but only half are matched in time to receive one.
• Many people of color have difficulty finding a compatible donor from the registry. Matches are most often found between people of the same ethnic group. Increasing the diversity of the marrow donor registry is a matter of life and death. 

More Information

• Join the registry online
• Medical guidelines for joining the registry
• Bone marrow registry FAQ