Each year, approximately 30,000 Americans are diagnosed with life-threatening diseases such as leukemia, which are treatable by a marrow or stem cell transplant. Just one in three of these patients will find a donor match within their family. All it takes is a simple blood test to join the National Marrow Donor Program Registry. Anyone between the ages of 18-60 and in general good health can join the Registry. 

For more information on bone marrow donation contact the National Marrow Donor Program. 

Most organ transplants would not occur without adequate blood supplies, but only 3% of the eligible population donates blood. One blood donation saves as many as three lives, and healthy adults can donate blood every 56 days. Make saving lives a habit by donating regularly. Appointments to give blood can be coordinated through your local blood bank. To locate a blood bank near you, visit the American Association of Blood Banks (AABB). 

Why become a living organ donor?  Every year, thousands of people die while waiting for an organ transplant. The need far outweighs the number of available donors. Today, thanks to advances in medical science, living donation is a safe and life-changing option.  

Living donation is possible through the donation of a kidney, or a portion of the liver or intestine. Each year, more than 7,000 living donors give the gift of life – offering a loved one, friend, or even a stranger an alternative to waiting on the national transplant list. In fact, one in four living donors aren’t biologically related to their recipient. The South Carolina transplant waiting list is among the longest for kidneys.  Approximately 90% of patients on the South Carolina transplant waiting list need a kidney. South Carolina is fortunate to have two transplant hospitals with living kidney donation programs: PRISMA Health located in the Upstate/Greenville, and MUSC Transplant Center in Charleston. 

For more information about other types of living organ donation, visit UNOS’s Transplant Living website.