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Step 1
Know your stuff. Something called human leukocyte antigen (HLA) typing is used to match patients and donors for cord blood transplants (as well as bone marrow transplants). HLA are the proteins found in most cells, which the immune system uses as a marker of sorts, to sort out which cells belong in the body and which ones are unwelcome. A close match between these proteins and the donor's means there will be less chance that the patient's immune cells will attack the donor's cells.
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Step 2
Arm yourself with the information on how to best find it. You may think the usual suspects are family members. Think again. Seventy percent of those seeking donors don't find a match in the family. That makes the process a difficult and often global search. That being said, there is a 25 percent chance that siblings with the same parents are a match. If you start with family, focus on siblings, because HLA tissue types are inherited, but the odds of extended family being a match are slim. Keep it very close to the tree.
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Step 3
Use the National Marrow Donor Program Registry (NMDP). Your doctor can access the registry, which contains seven million donors (and access to another four million donors, thanks to global partnerships). In addition, you can access a portion of the registry on your own by simply typing in your HLA type for A, B and DRB1 as listed in your lab report. In return, you'll see the number of donors which may be able to help you in the registry. This will give you an idea as to what you might be up against. See the link in our Resources section for the official Website.
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Step 4
Be realistic. Keep in mind that not everyone has a match out there that will help them. If that's the case, not all hope is gone. Your doctor will be able to offer other treatment alternatives. In addition, there are new donors becoming available all the time. Just because someone isn't out there for you now, doesn't mean that will always be the case.
