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Be a donor

UnityPoint holding events to sign up to be a stem cell donor

Over 12,000 patients every year are diagnosed with life-threatening blood cancers.

Being a blood stem donor can cut down on the stress and help save lives.

UnityPoint Health-Trinity Regional Medical Central will be holding two events upcoming this week.

On Monday UnityPoint will host a Be The Match (blood stem donor) event at Iowa Central Community College from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the ARC Commons Area.

“We will be setting up a couple of tables for individuals to get their cheeks swabbed to join the Blood Stem or Bone Marrow donor registry,” said Senior Marketing Communication Specialist Alyssa Stanek.

UnityPoint will also host an event on Wednesday at Trinity Regional Medical Center. The event will run from 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. as well as noon to 1:30 p.m. at the Trinity Regional Medical Center Conference Center 2.

“We are welcoming all team and community members to sign up to be a part of the registry,” Stanek said.

For patients who have diseases like sickle cell, a blood stem cell transplant from an unrelated donor may be their only chance at a cure.

Peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) donation is the most common form of collecting blood forming cells for transplants. The same blood-forming cells that are found in bone marrow are also found in the circulating (peripheral) blood.

PBSC donation is a non-surgical procedure, called apheresis. The donation takes place at an experienced hospital facility that participates in PBSC collections to Be The Match.

Most donors are back to their usual routine in a few days. Marrow naturally replaces itself within four to six weeks.

To join the donor register, a donor must be 18 to 40 years old and it’s as simple as completing the registration and a cheek swab.

How to help

What: Blood Stem Donor Registry

When: Monday, April 25 (at Iowa Central)

Time: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

When: Wednesday, April 27 (at Trinity Regional Medical Center)

Time: 6 a.m. to 8 a.m.; Noon to 1 p.m.

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