NPR

After Bone Marrow Donation Saves 9-Year-Old Boy With Cancer, Boston Mom Fights To Raise Awareness

More than 35 million people around the world have signed up to donate their stem cells to people battling cancer and other diseases. Only a small percentage of those donors are Americans.
Mateo Goldman. (Photo by Webb Chappell for The Boston Globe)

Every year, about 10,000 people in the U.S. need a stem cell transplant but can’t find a donor.

The intense medical procedure, which can help those with leukemia, lymphoma, sickle cell anemia and other blood diseases, can save lives— but securing a donor can be like finding a needle in a haystack.

is a nonprofit, national registry where people can sign up to donate their stem cells. More than 35 million people around the world have volunteered — yet only a small percentage of those donors are Americans, and even the registry admits most Americans don’t know it exists.

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