The D-C branch of a national bone marrow program is encouraging more minorities to become donors.

Jessica Forres reports...



[NAT: CHOIR]

A choir performs at the New Life Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland as members of the congregation line up to provide samples of their DNA.

Juliette Williams of the National Marrow Donor Program is recruiting two, young black men, Termayne Douglas and Stephen Yirenkyi...

THIS IS THE KIT YOU’RE GOING TO TYPE YOURSELF WITH. WE HAVE FOUR Q-TIPS, TWO IN A PACK. YOU ARE GOING TO SWAB EACH SECTION OF YOUR MOTH FOR TEN SECONDS.

- HOW ARE YOU FEELING RIGHT NOW
-HEROIC
-SCARED

Williams says more than 6-thousand patients…suffering from various blood cancers, such as Leukemia or Lymphoma...are in need of bone marrow transplants each year. Finding a match isn’t easy…. especially for minorities who only make up 8 percent of donors...

THE BEST MATCH FOR A PERSON COMES FROM THEIR OWN RACE OR OWN ETHNIC BACKGROUND. SO THAT’S WHY WE’RE TRYING TO ENCOURAGE. AND AS I SAID BEFORE, WE HAVE OVER 7 AND A HALF MILLION PEOPLE ON THERE AND MINORITIES ARE NOT ON THERE IN THE NUMBERS WHERE WE NEED TO BE.

There are 3 and a half million white donors... sevens times the number of blacks on the list...

ONLY 6 PERCENT OF THE AFRICAN-AMERICANS ON THE REGISTRY WILL GET A TRANSPLANT THE OTHER 94 PERCENT WON’T BECAUSE THERE’S NOT ENOUGH ON THE REGISTRY.

The next bone marrow drive in D.C. takes place on Thursday at Galludet (GALLA-det) University.

Jessica Forres WAMU 885 News

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A local church is trying to save lives this Easter weekend by encouraging minorities to become bone marrow donors.

Jessica Forres reports...

At the New Life Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland, Stephen Yirenkyi, a young black man, is about to swab the inside of his mouth with a Q-Tip...

HOW DO YOU FEEL RIGHT NOW?

-SCARED

He's hoping his DNA will lead to saving the life of a cancer patient some day...


- I’M GOING TO SUCK IT UP BECAUSE THERE’S A LOT OF PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO REALLY NEED HELP…


Juliet Williams...with the National Marrow Donor Program...says that's especially true for minorities... who make up about 8 percent of the registry...


THE BEST MATCH FOR A PERSON COMES FROM THEIR OWN RACE OR OWN ETHNIC BACKGROUND. WE HAVE OVER 7 AND A HALF MILLION PEOPLE ON THERE AND MINORITIES ARE NOT ON THERE IN THE NUMBERS WHERE WE NEED TO BE.


William's program hosts a bone marrow donor drive every week in the Washington, DC area.


Jessica Forres WAMU 885 News