Woman Diagnosed with Lymphoma Needs Stem Cell Transplant to Survive

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Nov. 14, 2019 - PRLog -- Tisharra Gibson is a mother of 3 and a college graduate. She was diagnosed with cutaneous t-cell lymphoma, a cancer that invades the immune system.

Her only cure is a matching stem cell transplant.

Transplants from a donor who matches the ancestry of a patient, are much more likely to be successful.

There are no matching donors in her family, and there are none on the Be The Match National Marrow Donor Program registry. Not yet anyway. Only 23% of African-Americans with a blood cancer have a chance of finding a matching donor.

All ethnic minorities are underrepresented in the registry. White patients have a 77% chance of finding a matching donor. Hispanic patients only have a 46% chance, and as indicated above, 3 out of every 4 patients who are African-American, will not be able to find their cure.

The only way to change this is to add more diverse populations to the registry. The process is simple. Click the link below and set up an account on the registry. Answer basic questions about your age and ethnicity and a swab kit will be mailed to your home. Once you return that kit, you will be included as a potential life-saver to a patient looking for a matching cure.

What if you match a patient in need? 70% of all transplants utilize a method called a PBSC (peripheral blood stem cells) donation. It is a non-invasive process that is very similar to giving plasma. The remaining 30% of patients require a bone marrow transplant, which is a surgery that takes place in a hospital.

There is no cost to join the registry and if you end up donating, everything is taken care of by Be The Match.

Include yourself on the registry - you maybe someone's cure! You might save a life!

Please add yourself and share this link with friends and family https://join.bethematch.org/KeepOnRolling