Word: bones
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Over winter break, senior Samuel R. Cross ’07 received the results of a routine blood test and discovered that he has acute myelogenous leukemia, a condition that has led to chemotherapy instead of returning to classes. Now, Sam urgently needs a bone marrow transplant to survive. His plight has suddenly catapulted blood and organ donation into the Harvard community’s hearts and minds, a place where we hope this important cause will linger...
...Both outside and within the Harvard bubble, patients’ lives depend on blood, bone marrow, and organ donations. Unfortunately, the supply of these donations doesn’t keep up with their demand; while only a small number of individuals make the choice to donate, many will accept such donations when their own lives are at stake. It’s easy to be complacent until forced to take notice...
...Bone marrow transplants, however, require a bone marrow match, which can be extremely difficult to find. Patients and donors must have the same human leukocyte antigens (HLAs); otherwise, the patient’s body may reject the donated marrow. While in 25 to 30 percent of cases, the patient will have a family member whose marrow is compatible, in 70 to 75 percent of the cases—thousands of patients annually—the patient will need marrow from a stranger. Sam Cross, for example, is of half-Asian, half-Eastern European heritage; his singular heritage makes finding...
...National Marrow Donor Program registry tests healthy individuals for their bone marrow type and sometimes matches them with sick patients. In order to register, potential donors must get an HLA test, which costs over 50 dollars, a cost that seems prohibitively high. The government subsidizes testing costs for certain minority groups, some health insurance policies cover HLA testing, and the families of the sick often offer to pay the cost of potential donors’ tests, as Cross’ family has done. But, in order to encourage more widespread HLA testing and potentially save many lives, we hope that...
...campus and beyond, Harvard is seeking a bone marrow match for Sam Cross. But there are millions of other Sam Crosses out there. Students who today are blessed with the good health that makes donating an option—students who may someday themselves need donations from those who are young and healthy—should not let the hustle and bustle of daily life let them forget about the opportunity to give blood, get HLA tested, and register as organ donors. It’s saving lives, made easy...