Some information on becoming a bone marrow donor for Savvy

Hey everyone!

I think there may be some confusion as far as becoming a possible bone marrow donor for Savannah. From the information I gathered, registering to be a donor on marrow.org only puts you on the national donor list and does NOT allow for you to be a donor for a specific person. Edit: However, you can register to become a donor with the national registry. They will do your cheek swab (free of charge) and if you request them, send you your tissue type results!

I found a website called BoneMarrowTest.com. It has some good information as well

Per an oncology nurse at Tampa General Hospital, one way to have your HLA (Human Leukocyte Antigen) type tested is to get a referral from a physician. You then would go to a local blood services agency or diagnostic lab to have the test performed. Edit: Not every agency performs HLA type tests. Florida Blood Services does NOT!

You can order a Stem Cell HLA Typing test directly through www.BoneMarrowTest.com or by contacting Kashi Clinical Laboratories as well. It costs $175.

I am unsure of the cost of going through a physician referral but my guess would be that it would be a cheaper option. Edit: Quest Diagnostics DOES HLA type tests. See below!

Also, just so everyone knows, an HLA tissue type test is a simple cheek swab! It is not painful and takes a matter of minutes.

Feel free to contact me with any questions at tmendels@mail.usf.edu.

Big Tam

Hematopoietic Stem Cell/Bone Marrow Transplantation- Quest Diagnostics

Initial HLA screen for transplant recipient and genetically related potential donor(s)

[15484X]–15484 $695

HLA Class I A, B, C DNA Typing

[15485X]–15485 $335

HLA Class II DR, DQ DNA Typing

Determine HLA type of transplant recipient and unrelated potential donor(s) Second-level testing for determining HLA type in transplant recipient and genetically related potential donor(s)

[17397X]–17397 $395

HLA-A High Resolution SBT Typing†

[17396X]–17396 $395

HLA-B High Resolution SBT Typing†

[17395X]–17395 $395

HLA-C High Resolution SBT Typing†

[17393X]–17393 $395

HLA-DRB1 High Resolution SBT Typing†

[17394X]–17394 $395

HLA-DQB1 High Resolution SBT Typing†

[17398X]–17398 $440

HLA-A2 Typing with Reflex to A2 High Resolution SBT Sub typing†‡