July is African-American Bone Marrow Awareness Month

Join the registry and you may save someone’s life.

My dad, a Black Panamanian Navy veteran, was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia in 2023. He’s still searching for a matching blood stem cell donor — his only chance at a cure.

The best matches are usually found within a patient's own ethnic background — and Black, Latinx, and other communities of color are dramatically underrepresented on the national blood stem cell donor registry. White patients find a match about 79% of the time. For Black patients, it's only 29%. Part of the reason: just 7% of the registry is African American, even though most patients rely on the registry, not their own family, to find a match.

This month, here's how we can change that. Whether you’re Black or not, you could be the match someone is looking for. All it takes is a quick cheek swab to find out. Here are some ways to get started:

• Swab your cheek at the Panamanian Picnic on Saturday, July 18 at Allan Witt Community Park in Fairfield, CA

• Swab your cheek at the African American Bone Marrow Donor Drive on Saturday, July 25th at Mosswood Park in Oakland, CA

• If you can’t make it to either live event or you’re not in the Bay Area, Text LOU4LIFE to 61474 to start the donation process

Swab your cheek. Save a life.