Sept. 1995 Bone Marrow Registration! What? - Why?

by Norma Tarazi

Abdullah is a three and a half year old Muslim boy who lives in Milwaukee with his family and he was diagnosed with leukemia (blood cancer) several months ago. As part of his treatment he needed a bone marrow transplant - and the call went out all over the world looking for a good match. Unfortunately for Abdullah, he is half Arab.

Finding a bone marrow match is done by searching an international list of donors connected through the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) Registry. The State of Israel has a bone marrow registry but the Arab countries don't. Too few Arabs are registered either here or elsewhere in the world, or Indians, Pakistanis, Africans, and most other Muslim ethnic groups.

So a good match could not be found for Abdullah. His father was the best match available, only a 50% match, the most any parent could be. Most parents aren't as good a match as that. If Abdullah had a brother or sister there would be only a 25% chance of one of them being a good match. Good bone marrow matches usually come from outside the immediate family, though from the same ethnic group. The better the match, the greater the chances of success. Doctors do the best they can, and all health comes from Allah.

So how do you register? The First Aid Station here at the ISNA convention plans to have Red Cross representatives here for this from 10 am to 4 pm on Saturday, September 2, and can register any healthy person between the ages of 18 -55. You can also register at home by calling XXXXXXXXXX to find the number of the National Marrow Donor Program center nearest you.

Registration is simple. They will take a small sample of your blood for analysis and you will fill out some papers. It takes about 15 minutes. Then your type of bone marrow will be registered with the international registry so if some day, someone who is closely related to you by Allah (through genetic similarity), usually someone from your ethnic background, needs a bone marrow transplant, you might be called upon to help with this donation. (You can refuse if you are called and would only be accepted as a donor if you are in good health when called.) Your donation could be sent anywhere in the world, wherever countries participate in the international registration system. Bone marrow donation is like blood donation in that your body replaces what you donate. You are not being asked to donate now, because it can't be stored. You will only be registered for possible donation later.

The Islamic Medical Association has set up a special fund called the National Marrow Donor Program Fund. They need money to set up local registration drives, pay for administrative expenses, and conduct a national campaign for Muslims to take the lead to help those in need. Tax deductable gifts may be sent to ....

For now, Abdullah has received donation from his father. Alhamdullah, it seems to be working and he is out of the hospital now. Please pray for his continued improvement and for the health of so many others in his situation. And register your bone marrow for future need, like Sr. Farhat Khan of Cincinnati, OH, a mother with three children, who has recently been diagnosed with a fatal blood disease and will need a transplant soon. Abdullah's mother knows 2 other Muslim children how have had this need over the past 2 years. One is now looking for a donor. The other died last year.

So register! For Abdullah! And all the others like him!
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Please stop by at the Health Fair. Take the opportunity for yourself and your family to use the following services:

• Free basic check up
• Blood sugar & cholesterol check
• Cancer screening
• Mammography
• Heart check up (stress test)
• Breathing test
• First Aid
• Blood donation drive
• Bone marrow registry