News Release October 25, 2005

Bonfils Blood Center's Colorado Marrow Donor Program Recognizes National Marrow Awareness Month
Colorado community encouraged to join donor registry

For more information contact:
Julie Scott 303.361.2873
Bonfils Blood Center

DENVER (October 25, 2005) - November is designated National Marrow Awareness Month and a time to recognize the advances in marrow or blood stem cell transplantation that result in possible cures for patients in need. Bonfils Blood Center's Colorado Marrow Donor Program (CMDP) and the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) encourage the community to join the marrow registry in celebration of National Marrow Awareness Month to give hope to patients with leukemia and other blood-related diseases.

People between the ages of 18 and 60 may join the registry during a regular blood donation appointment or at any of Bonfils Blood Center's community donor centers. Would-be donors give a small sample of blood and complete a health history and consent form.

Each blood sample is sent to a lab for specialized testing to determine a person's unique blood characteristics in order to provide the best match between donor and recipient. Grant funding has allowed CMDP to significantly reduce the average $100 compatibility testing fee to a $30 tax-deductible donation due at the time of registration. Due to the low representation of minority donors, a separate grant exists to cover the entire testing fee for those in ethnically diverse groups such as African American, Asian/Pacific Islanders, Native/Alaskan Americans and Hispanics/Latino. Finally, once a donor is identified as a match the patient's insurance covers all additional costs.

Each year, thousands of people in the United States are diagnosed with diseases for which a blood stem cell, more commonly known as marrow, transplant could be a cure. Approximately 70 percent of patients are unable to find a donor match within their family. Ethnically diverse patients have the greatest difficulty finding a suitable unrelated donor therefore, recruiting new and ethnically diverse stem cell donors is key to the ongoing success of the program.

The CMDP also seeks volunteers interested in coordinating ethnic-focused marrow registration drives at their church, school, business or other community organization. For more information about joining the registry or coordinating a drive, please call 303.363.2345.

Bonfils Blood Center supplies blood to more than 115 healthcare facilities and needs to collect 4,350 blood donations weekly to meet the needs of the community and to be prepared for any unexpected events. For information about scheduling a blood donation, please visit www.bonfils.org or call (303) 363-2300.