General Donor Information

We've had some questions regarding the January 17, 2009 Donor Drive which I hope I can answer. First, there is no blood involved when a person comes to the Drive to get tested. Instead, this initial test consists of a mouth-swab test which gathers enough DNA for a preliminary workup. If this should prove to be a possible match, the donor will be called upon for bloodwork, which is a more detailed test and will, in turn, tell us if the donor is a probable match. PLEASE NOTE: by testing for Jessica at the drive, you will be listed in the National Registry. This is not a person specific Drive. We are hoping that you are all open to the possibility of not only perhaps being a match for Jessica, but for any person in need of this life saving gift. When the NMDP(National Marrow Donor Program) has these drives, the costs for the swab test is $25, down from their standard $52, by way of "grant" money. We are hoping that our fundraising efforts will cover the $25 cost of all who wish to be tested, but we ask that if you are able, that you will cover the cost of your test. If there are funds leftover from the drive, they will be put towards the second step (bloodwork) of testing which can run up to $1,800 per test and is not covered by insurance.

If you should wish to test for Jessica only and not be listed in the National Registry, these is a private lab that the NMDP recommends. Kashi Clinical Labs (1-877-527-4452) charges $165 for this same test including all shipping. Unfortunately, we are not able to help with any cost for private testing.