What’s delivered by the U.S. Postal Service, but can’t fit into a letter or package?
The untold hope that a bone marrow match can bring to patients with leukemia, lymphoma and other life-threatening blood diseases.
Since holding its first drive in Baltimore in 1997, the Postal Service has become the largest contributor to the National Marrow Donor Program’s Be The Match Registry, adding more than 40,000 potential donors to the nonprofit registry.
Postal workers comprise the second largest civilian workforce in the country, and perhaps more importantly, one of its most diverse. Offering free tissue type-testing to its employees, their spouses and dependents is one way of harnessing that diversity and leveling the playing field for patients with blood diseases.
About 70% of patients do not have a donor in their family, and only 7% of potential donors on the national registry are African American, according to the NMDP.
In hopes of improving awareness, the NMDP has tapped larger-than-life basketball star Shaquille O’Neal , while its fundraising arm gave the Postal Service its first-ever “Rod Carew Award for Leadership” in recognition of saving more lives – 80 – than any other business organization in the country.
Not bad for a group of workers that have been the butt of jokes for years and frequently endure our ire this time of year.
Anyone interested in becoming a potential bone marrow or cord blood donor can contact the registry at: www.marrow.org.
Patrice Wendling (on Twitter @pwendl)
