Turned down for BMT donor

[audrey12]

It's a bit ironic.  I am 6-years post kidney donation this month.  Last weekend my husband and I went to a local sport/outdoors store and there was a sign for a bone marrow donor registration drive outside.  I've always meant to register and thought, why not do it today.

So I found the organization's table and asked the two sweet young things sitting there what I needed to do.  They asked if I weighed less than 230, could do a cheek swab now, etc.  Then they asked if I was under 44 years old!  The cutoff was 44!

I am 57, and I asked them why in the world.  They said it was because it weeded out more people with heath problems.  I asked them to tell their organization's rule makers that I was approved for kidney donation at age 50, and I think they're being overly cautious when just taking a swab.  They are missing out on a lot of potential donors.

Anyway, I understand but I sure was disappointed.

[Fr Pat]

     From what I have read, the doctors have some data indicating a notably higher success rate for bone marrow transplants if the donor is younger. Older marrow donors, if I understand it right, have fewer of the needed cells in their marrow, so a transplant would deliver a smaller dose of the needed cells. And there seems to be some problem with "old" bone marrow cells that does not happen as much with "old" kidneys. The age limit for marrow donors has thus been changing, and is different from country to country. In Britain and Australia it is down to 40 years of age. But the purpose of the limit seems to be to try to make the chances of success greater.
     If you try an internet search of "bone marrow donation, donor age limits" you might find some better explanation.
         best wishes,
             Fr. Pat

[sherri]

Audrey,

That is disappointing to be turned down when one wants to donate. Just yesterday I went to donate blood at one of the local drives in my neighborhood and I was turned away because my hemoglobin was 12.3 and it needed to be 12.5 to donate. Ironically, I had  my annual labs drawn on 12/27 and my Hg was 14.1. Two clocks you never know what time it is, one your're always sure!

Anyway, I am a new nurse (change in career after my kidney donation 6 years ago) and I am working as a transplant nurse coordinator for stem cell/bone marrow transplant. I am also learning along the way, but the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) has strict guidelines as to who they will accept as a donor. Like Fr. Pat said, as we age we tend to produce less stem cells. The testing for these HLA tying kits are very expensive, as well as the confirmatory HLA typing that needs to be done once someone is identified as a match,  so I imagine with limited amount of resources they are seeking to attract younger donors who will be in the system longer. It's not that an older donor can't donate it is just that they are looking for younger volunteers to bring into the system. When I search for a potential donor, I always look at the quality of the match, the age and gender (males produce more stem cells).  When there is a related match (most often a sibling) the age is not as much of an issue but again, it is important that the donor can produce a significant number of stem cells. This is accomplished by using medications to increase the number of stem cells and move them out into the circulating blood.

My husband matched someone from another country and donated two years ago at the age of 52. All we know is that the recipient was his age and male. The country forbids any contact between donor and recipient. But we both have been in the system for about 15 years. If anyone is interested go onto bethematch.com to see what you need to do to be eligible to test. Here is some information regarding age and eligibility from their webiste http://bethematch.org/Transplant-Basics/Matching-patients-with-donors/Why-donor-age-matters/

All the best,

Sherri

[Clark]

Interesting. They just asked me to confirm my status and I'll be 55 next month. They have my birth date, so you may have been misinformed. I suggest you go to marrow.org and try to find out. Please let us know what you learn.

[Clark]

Found this on their FAQ:

http://bethematch.org/Support-the-Cause/Donate-bone-marrow/Join-the-marrow-registry/FAQs-about-joining/

Can I still join if I’m over age 44?
-
Yes. If you are between the ages of 18 and 60, meet health guidelines and are willing to donate to any patient in need, you can join the registry. Everyone on the registry is critical to saving lives. For all registry members, the most important thing you can do is stay committed, so if you’re selected as a match for a patient you’re ready to move forward.

[sherri]

Clark/John,

Here is some additional information from Be the Match. Again, the age issue is related to cost. HLA typing is expensive. Therefore, they would like to encourage younger donors to be in the registry so it is cost effective i.e the younger you are the more of a chance of being selected. Anyone who is already in the registry has had their preliminary HLA typing completed so they keep asking you update your information in case you do match someone. There are over 20 million people in the National Marrow Donor Program from all over the world.

http://bethematch.org/Transplant-Basics/Matching-patients-with-donors/Why-donor-age-matters/

Age and cost to join

We are committed to providing the best possible outcome for patients. We encourage people between the ages of 18 and 44 to join Be The Match Registry®online or at a community donor drive for free. People between the ages of 18 and 44 are selected as a donor by physicians over 90% of the time.

Those between the ages of 45 and 60 who want to join Be The Match Registry® are welcome to do so, but must join through our online registration process. You will be required to make a $100 payment at the end of the online process to cover the cost to join.

How old do you have to be to donate bone marrow?

A person must be at least 18 to donate because donation is a medical procedure and the person must be able to give legal informed consent. Also, because it’s a voluntary procedure a guardian or parent can’t sign a release or give consent for someone under age 18.

What is the cut off age for being an adult marrow donor?

Everyone on Be The Match Registry is critical to saving lives. Once you become a registry member, you are listed on the registry until the age of 61, unless you request to be removed from the registry before then. Anyone between the ages of 18 and 60 who meets health guidelines and is willing to donate to any patient in need is able to join the registry.

As we age, the chances of a complication resulting from any medical procedure increases. People over age 60 are at a slightly increased risk of complications during and after donation. People over age 60 may not join the registry. Age guidelines are in place to protect the health of potential donors and to provide the best possible treatment for patients. The age limit is not meant to discriminate in any way.

There are other ways to be the cure. Learn how you can get involved with Be The Match®.

[WilliamLFreeman]

BE A NON-DIRECTED DONOR!

EVERY 8 WEEKS or so.

Donate blood, platelets, etc.