This Issue

Bone marrow transplant:
More African American donors needed

Waiting for a match

It takes a little part of you to
make a person whole

Giving blood

Looking to donate?

Q & A

A closer look

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When bone marrow is unhealthy


Bone marrow (stem cell) transplants are often recommended for conditions that result in the production of abnormal blood cells, such as the following:

Cancer

• Acute lymphocytic
leukemia

• Chronic lymphocytic leukemia

• Acute myelogenous leukemia
 • Chronic myelogenous leukemia

• Hodgkin’s lymphoma

• Non-Hodgkins lymphoma

• Multiple myeloma

Others

• Sickle cell disease

• Thalassemia		 • Aplastic anemia

• Severe immune deficiency disorders

When bone marrow is unhealthy

A call for help

A lifeline

The umbilical cord is the baby’s lifeline, but once clamped and cut after the baby is born, it can be the lifeline for someone else. Cord blood — once considered medical waste — is rich in stem cells, which can be used in transplants. But time is limited. You have to complete enrollment to donate cord blood by the end of the 32nd or 34th week of pregnancy depending on the blood bank used.

• Call the Be The Match Registry at 800-507-5427 to find out which hospitals in your state participate.

In Massachusetts, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center take part.

• If your hospital is not listed you can still donate. Contact the Carolinas Cord Blood Bank at 919-668-2071 or Lifeforce Cryobanks at 800-869-8608

There is no cost to you and no harm to you or the baby.
If you don’t donate, the blood is thrown away.
A closer look


Image courtesy of National Marrow Donor Program

More than 70 percent of the time peripheral blood stem cells, which circulate in the bloodstream, are requested for donation. The process is very much like blood donation. Blood is taken from one arm and transferred to a machine which separates and retains the stem cells. The rest of the blood is returned to you in the other arm.

Generally, donors are required to take a medication for five days prior to the donation to boost the stem cell population in the blood. The process itself takes about four hours and is often done for two days.

A lifeline

Dana-Farber/ Harvard Cancer Center 2011 National Minority Cancer Awareness

DANA-FARBER/HARVARD CANCER CENTER
Initiative to Eliminate Cancer Disparities
2011 National Minority Cancer Awareness


April 17 - April 23

Boston Public Library Cancer
Awareness Display

• Codman Square Branch Library
690 Washington Street

• Mattapan Branch Library
1350 Blue Hill Avenue

• Brighton Branch Library
40 Academy Hill Road

April 28: 12 - 1 p.m.

Secondhand Smoke Exposure
Harvard Street Neighborhood
Health Center
632 Blue Hill Avenue


May 16: 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Skin Cancer Prevention
Roxbury YMCA
285 Martin Luther King Boulevard

April 21: 9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Reducing Cancer Disparities & Promoting Health Equity Among Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Populations
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Riesman Lecture Hall, 330 Brookline Avenue

Registration is required: http://sesrcdbostonapril2011.eventbrite.com

All events are open to the public
For any additional information contact
Athene Wilson Glover at 617-632-4860
Another good reason to visit the dentist


“All you have to do is open your mouth.”
— The Head and Neck Cancer Alliance


The oral cancer examination is painless and quick … and life-saving. When cancers of the head and neck are found early, the cure rate is high. Annual screenings by a doctor or dentist should be a part of your regular physical or dental checkup. The provider:

• Inspects your face, neck, lips and mouth.

• Feels the area under your jaw and the sides of your neck, checking for unusual lumps.

• Asks you to stick out your tongue to check for swelling, color and texture.

• Using gauze, lifts your tongue and pulls it from one side, then the other.

• Checks the roof and floor of your mouth and the back of your throat.

• Feels and examines the insides of your lips and cheeks for red or white patches.

• Places one finger on the floor of your mouth and, with the other hand under your chin, presses down to check for unusual lumps or sensitivity.

Source: National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research
Oral, Head and Neck Cancer
Awareness Week is May 8 – 14.


Photo by Vannessa Carrington/Mass. Eye and Ear

Get screened for head and neck
cancer. It’s free, quick and painless.

Boston Medical Center
Moakley Building Lobby
830 Harrison Avenue
Date: April 2
Time: 8 a.m. - noon
617-638-8260
Tufts Medical Center
860 Washington Street
Date: May 12
Time: 2:30 – 4:30 p.m.
617-636-1664
Mass Eye and Ear
243 Charles Street
Date: May 13
Time: TBA
617-573-3340
Dedham Family Dental
Dr. Helaine Smith
30 Milton Street, Dedham
Date: May 11
Time: 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
781-326-4600
Mass General Hospital
Voice Center
One Bowdoin Square,
11th Floor
Date: May 13
Time: 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
617-726-0218
Remember to call ahead to confirm
time and date
of screenings.

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A call for help

People of color are underrepresented in the Be The Match registry, including cord blood donation.




A lifeline

The umbilical cord is the baby’s lifeline, but once clamped and cut after the baby is born, it can be the lifeline for someone else. Cord blood — once considered medical waste — is rich in stem cells, which can be used in transplants. But time is limited. You have to complete enrollment to donate cord blood by the end of the 32nd or 34th week of pregnancy depending on the blood bank used.

• Call the Be The Match Registry at 800-507-5427 to find out which hospitals in your state participate.

In Massachusetts, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and University of Massachusetts Memorial Medical Center take part.

• If your hospital is not listed you can still donate. Contact the Carolinas Cord Blood Bank at 919-668-2071 or Lifeforce Cryobanks at 800-869-8608

There is no cost to you and no harm to you or the baby.
If you don’t donate, the blood is thrown away.