Donating bone marrow is not an excruciatingly painful process. Does the guy in the picture look like he's in pain?

And when you measure any discomfort against what the person who needs that precious bone marrow is going through, the whole process seems like a walk in the park.

On average, only one in 540 people who is on the National Bone Marrow Registry  is ever called to donate. One south Louisiana man got that call. He says he feels like the luckiest man alive, and believes everyone who is able should be in the registry.

Chad Monceaux- Bone Marrow Donor
Chad Monceaux- Bone Marrow Donor
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This handsome guy is Chad Monceaux of Crowley. He says he actually forgot he had submitted his kit until he got a call in 2015 that he may be a perfect match for someone who needed a transplant. After a blood test confirmed it, he went through the process (which involved some paperwork, a physical, a series of shots) and donated his marrow to hopefully save the life of a 32-year-old man. Chad said he wondered, is that man a father? A brother? Will that man cure cancer or save someone else's life?

Chad has been a firefighter for the last 21 years. He says he has seen many things and has even saved many lives. But Chad says there is nothing like the feeling knowing that he actually had the opportunity to do this for another human being. He says he feels honored. Although he says donating was a BIG DEAL, it really wasn't an ORDEAL because it was so easy and painless. (The video at the bottom of this article is the same type of donation Chad did.)

 

Play for Anais Facebook
Play for Anais Facebook
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The beautiful young lady you see here is Anais Alleman. She is a 16-year-old student at Notre Dame High School of Acadia Parish. She was recently diagnosed with a form of leukemia and is need of a bone marrow transplant. Anais is adopted, and she needs to find a match. Her best chance is to find someone out there who is unrelated but shares enough genetic markers to be her match.

One big odd that isn't in Anais' favor is her race. Because of the genetics involved, 95% of the time, a patient's unrelated match comes from someone of the same race. Of the 12-million people currently in the National Bone Marrow Registry:

  • 8-million are Caucasian
  • 1-million are Hispanic
  • 800-thousand are African-American
  • 800-thousand are Asian
  • 500-thousand are multi-racial

Are you between the ages of 18 and 44, in good health and willing to save Anais' life or the life of someone else who desperately needs a bone marrow transplant? Join the registry today. It doesn't cost you a dime!

Anais' friends and family are coordinating a drive at her school and online so that more people of all races can get into the National Bone Marrow Registry. The A Team Bone registry drive will be held on Thursday, March 24th, from 7:30 until 1:30 at Notre Dame High School at 910 N. Eastern Avenue in Crowley. It doesn't cost anything to be placed in the registry. If you can't be there that day, Be The Match will mail you a packet with instructions on how to send in your sample so you can be put into the registry.

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