Double drive seeks blood, bone marrow donors Published March 9, 2017 By Amy Rollins Skywrighter Staff Editor's note: This story has been updated with date and time changes. WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE -- Trying to find a bone marrow donor to help save a young mother’s life and the deaths of friends who passed away before such donors could be located are the main forces behind a blood and bone marrow double donor drive scheduled for March 13 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the second-floor lab at Wright-Patterson Medical Center. To join the national bone marrow donor registry, registrants complete a consent form and four buccal (cheek cell) swabs. That process takes about 10 minutes. The double drive will benefit the Armed Services Blood Program, which is in urgent need of O positive and O negative blood; and the C.W. Bill Young/Department of Defense Marrow Donor Program, also known as the Salute to Life. Janell Wilker, a clinical investigator at the medical center, organized the double drive with the assistance of the 88th Medical Group. She is organizing the drive in honor of a coworker’s 25-year-old daughter who is fighting a rare blood disease and in memory of two friends who died of blood diseases before they could find a bone marrow match. “My goal is to get 250 bone marrow swab kits sent to the national bone marrow registry facility in Maryland for processing and to get as many units of blood donated as possible,” Wilker said. “It’s an ambitious goal, but as the Air Force says, “Aim High.’” Wilker expressed her thanks to the Blood Donor Clinic personnel and medical center management for their assistance with the double drive. Blood donation The armed forces do not use blood units from outside organizations, so donating through the Armed Services Blood Program is a direct line to help save wounded and recovering service members of all branches. The blood collected at Wright-Patterson AFB is sent downrange to aid service members overseas as well as to military treatment facilities in the United States, such as Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C. Military, civilians and family members with O+ and O- blood types are encouraged to donate. Joyce Velasco, blood donor program manager, said the O blood type is needed. O- blood cells are called “universal,” meaning they can be transfused to almost any patient in need, and only one in 15 people, or 6.6 percent of the population, has O- blood. In extreme emergencies when O- is in short supply, sometimes O+ can be substituted. Salute to Life The Salute to Life program recruits healthy individuals to join the national bone marrow donor registry, performs human leukocyte antigen typing on the samples provided by the volunteer, and facilitates transplantation for the individuals who are identified as good matches for patients in need. All of these services are provided free of charge to military and Department of Defense civilian employees. Obtaining bone marrow can occur in one of two ways – by the traditional method of using a special needle and syringe to remove liquid marrow from the center of the pelvic bone, or the newer method of peripheral blood stem cell donation. It involves five days of a medication, which causes the bones to release stem cells into the blood, followed by a day where these cells are gathered using a special blood-filtering machine. Military members are desirable donors because they are healthier than the general population and follow through when they make a commitment to something, Wilker said. She said she wants people to realize that it’s easier than ever to donate bone marrow and that harvesting techniques have changed and improved. “It’s so much easier than it used to be, and there are so many people out there looking for a match. If we can help one person, I will be happy,” Wilker said. “It’s a good thing to donate and be swabbed because it helps out others,” said Senior Airman Floyd Ferguson Jr., senior technician at the Blood Center. “There’s always going to be somebody in need, and you never know – you might need it yourself one day.” “It’s going to be awesome to broaden our registry,” said Nickellatta Edwards, apheresis technician/recruiter. To donate at other times or for eligibility or questions, contact the Blood Donor Center at 937-257-0580 or Edwards at 937-656-1564.