[Maria]

Is there any way that my family members/friends can be tested to see if they are a match to my daughter who may, in the future, benefit from a bone marrow transplant, although she is not on a list to receive one at the moment?Currently sufferers of her disorder are responding well to bone marrow transplants and I would like to know if anyone close to us is a good match in case this becomes a possibility. ------

[midnightmoon62]

You can, but you will likely have to pay out of pocket. Siblings have the best chance at being a match, 1 in 4. Parents or children have a 1 in 8 chance. Beyond that, its unlikely that a related donor would match.You can have as many people tested as you want, but you will be paying out of pocket. The other thing to do would be to have these people sign up for the registry. If your daughter does go forward with a stem cell transplant (the medically correct term for the transplant), they will already be on the registry and will be a part of the search.If you are in the us, you can sign up for the registry with the National Marrow Donor's Program at National Marrow Donor Program They will explain where to go or how to do it by mail. It does cost a small fee to sign up for the registry, but it is much cheeper than paying for tissue typing out of pocket. It is quite expensive.The site will also tell you how the transplant is done and the different sources of stem cells that can be used. ------