Monthly Spotlights
Stem Cell/Bone Marrow Donation and Transplantation
Every year, more than 35,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with leukemia, lymphoma, and other life-threatening blood diseases that require treatment with a bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cell transplant.
Only around 30 percent of patients in need of a transplant find a matching donor within their own family. The remaining 70 percent search a worldwide database of unrelated donors, looking for their "miracle match" willing to donate lifesaving cells.
Your generosity in joining the National Marrow Donor Program as a potential volunteer donor could help a patient battling cancer.
Read frequently asked questions about the Marrow Donor Program.
Dana-Farber's stem cell transplant services include allogeneic transplants with matched family member, unrelated donor, or cord blood cells, and autologous transplants that use a patient's own cells.
From donation to transplantation
What happens to stem cells after donation? This photo gallery follows their
journey.
Personal Stories
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Jaime Skillen and Esther Zaff — Stem cell donation was a gift of life
A stem cell donor and the recipient of her cells take turns telling their intertwined story — and explain how it felt when they met for the first time one year later.
read more
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Robert Soiffer, MD — Stem cell donors: everyday heroes
Dana-Farber transplant physician Robert Soiffer, MD, explains why making a stem cell donation is not just a generous gift – it's a life-changing, heroic act. read more
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Maxine Kates and Robin Walden — Cells and kindness multiplied
Moved by the selfless act of a stranger who saved the life of her mother, Maxine Kates, Robin Walden is preparing to donate her own stem cells to help a 62-year-old man she has never met. read more
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Bill Hallahan and Brian Roberts — Bone marrow donor and recipient meet one year after life-saving transplant
Cancer survivor Bill Hallahan knew almost nothing about the person who had saved his life. When he spotted a 30-something man waiting in the lobby of a Boston hotel with his wife, he immediately sensed this was him. read more
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Katie Goldberger — Event celebrates gift of bone marrow donations
"When they told me that I could write to you, I knew immediately that I would. But I did not know what I'd say. It feels very weird to have this connection and yet to not know who each other is. I cannot imagine being in the situation that you are in now. You obviously have a great deal of courage to be where you are." So begins a letter from "Wendy Bird" to "Hope," written five years ago as Hope was about to undergo a bone marrow transplant. read more
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Stephen Collins — Reflections of a stem cell recipient
Stephen Collins shares his observations and reflections — some sobering, and others humorous — from the past three years while he endured two stem cell transplants during his battle with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and leukemia. read more
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Amy Woodbury — A wonderful life
Amy Woodbury, a three-time cancer survivor at just 29, took steps during chemotherapy to preserve her fertility, and is now living a life she always wanted. read more
Related Stories
Stem Cell/Bone Marrow Donation Quiz
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