CANNON AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. -- Volunteers from the 27th Special Operations Wing hosted a stand for those interested in registering to donate bone marrow, today, at the Exchange on Cannon Air Force Base.
This was the first of two registration events, with the second one being held Dec. 7th from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. Those interested in donating can show up during the window of time with no appointment needed. Registration only takes about two minutes.
“I’ve seen just how important donating is,” said Senior Airman Edgardo, 56th Special Operations Intelligence Squadron operations analyst. “I knew this girl in high school who had leukemia. Someone was a match for her and she received a bone marrow transplant, saving her live.”
Registration is done through the Salute to Life program, created to help United States Department of Defense members become bone marrow donors.
Registration consists of filling out consent forms and swabbing the corners of one’s mouth. After that, the data collected is added to a list of members. While most people that are registered are never contacted, there are a select few who are a match for someone that require bone marrow.
Registration itself is still a commitment. Once the swab samples are typed, volunteers will remain on the registry of potential donors until they reach the age of 61 or are asked to be removed.
“Saving a life for a little pain is worth it,” said Staff Sgt. Travis Parsons, 27th Special Operations Security Forces Squadron standardized evaluator. “Please come out and register at our next event if you are interested.”
For any questions on registration or what happens after, contact Master Sgt. Matthew Chisum, (575) 904-5375, or Staff Sgt. Jennifer Bradley, (575) 784-7796.