With Mother’s Day on Sunday, the National Marrow Donor Program is sponsoring a donor registration drive in several Iowa cities later this week. Program spokesman Patrick Thompson says it only takes a few minutes to register and could help save a life.
The promotion is called the “Thanks Mom! Marrow Donor Recruitment Campaign” and Thompson says signing up to share the gift of life with someone in need is a great way to say thank you to our mothers. He says people have to fill out a brief form and then wipe a cotton swab inside their mouth. He says it’s to provide a D-N-A sample and it’s painless.
Thompson says by registering as a potential donor, you could help many others. He says thousands of people are on waiting lists who desperately need a blood cell or marrow transplant to save their lives, and 70-percent don’t have a match within their families. By registering, you’ll be joining some six-million others on a volunteer registry. Drives are being held Friday and Saturday in Iowa City, Brooklyn, Burlington, Omaha/Council Bluffs and Davenport. For specifics, surf to “www.marrow.org” and click on the “Thanks Mom!” link.