Cleveland 1
Brittany Cleveland
ENG-102-WNOL1
01/27/2015
Compensation for bone marrow donors Aplastic anemia, leukemia, lymphoma, and some solid-tumor cancers are a small selection of the diseases that benefit from bone marrow transplant. Bone marrow can be defined as a soft, fatty substance in the cavities of bones, in which blood cells are produced. Bone marrow is also known as the medium for development and storage of most of the body’s blood cells. Blood cells which produce other blood cells are called stem cells. Pluripotent stem cells are different from other blood cells because of renewal and differentiation. Renewal and differentiation of a pluripotent stem cell means that a stem cell is able to reproduce another cell identical to itself as well as create one or more groups of more mature cells. It is the stem cells that are needed in bone marrow transplant. According to Johns Hopkins Medicines, “Bone marrow transplant (BMT) is a special therapy for patients with certain cancers or other diseases. A bone marrow transplant involves taking cells that are normally found in the bone marrow (stem cells), filtering those cells, and giving them back either to the donor (patient) or to another person. The goal of BMT is to transfuse healthy bone marrow cells into a person after his or her own unhealthy bone marrow has been treated to kill the abnormal cells.” (hopkinsmedicine.org) As it stands, it is illegal for a donor of bone marrow to be compensated for his or her contribution of stem cells. The law should be changed, and donors of bone marrow should be compensated for their portion of the transplant. Cleveland 2 Many individuals could argue the fact that the word “donor” is in fact, a derivative of the word donation. Donation means a free contribution or a gift. However, the statistics of the individuals patiently waiting for transplants of bone marrow, should be reviewed. In order for an individual to be deemed eligible for a bone marrow transplant, he or she must undergo extensive health and background screenings. Once an individual is ruled eligible for a bone marrow transplant, whether he or she is the donor or the recipient, they must be matched with an individual fitting the criteria needed for a successful transplant. Jeff Rowes, senior attorney of the Institute for Justice, has shed light on some very interesting facts. In April of 2011, Rowes tells about an eleven year old boy by the name of Arya Majumder who lost his fight against leukemia. A year prior the Majumder’s defeat, he endured a risky bone marrow transplant using a donor who was only a partial genetic match, because it was his only option. Rowes also explains that in October of 2010, Penny Lindenberg, a married mother of three, died of leukemia despite having three known matched donors. None of the three matches would agree to donate. Rowes states that “Identifying more potential donors, and making sure they donate when asked, is a public-health-crisis. Every year the federal government spends tens of millions of dollars on programs that match about 5,000 patients with strangers-and thousands of people still die every year for want of a donor.” (Rowes.) In 2009, MoreMarrowDonors.org proposed an idea to get more donors involved in a movement to increase the number of bone marrow donors. The idea was to compensate individuals with the use of strategic financial incentives, such as scholarships. The funding for the scholarships would come from charitable giving-not the patients-so there is no danger that incentives would aid only the “rich.” “The hope is that, as with most things, financial incentives matter, and compensating donors will create more of them.” (Rowes.)
Cleveland 3 The cost to become a registered donor of bone marrow is $100.00. There are many different avenues a donor can take to provide the cost of registering to become a donor, such as: fundraising, hosting a drive, or contributions that have been made to