UNITED STATES · NMDP
Joining a stem cell donor registry from the United States
For people who live in the United States. Live somewhere else? Find your country.
3 registries sign up people who live in the United States. You only need to join one. Here’s who can join, how it works and what happens after.
You can join here, through NMDP.
Browsing from another country? See how joining works where you live.
Ways to join
3 services sign up people who live in the United States. You only need to join one.
NMDP
Run by National Marrow Donor Program, a nonprofit organization.
18–35years old to join
- Who it’s for
- People who live in the United States, aged 18 to 35.
- Languages
- English and Spanish
Why this one first The U.S. national coordinating registry, open to people living in the U.S., its territories and freely associated states, online with a free swab kit (18–35).
DKMS
Run by DKMS (DKMS US), a nonprofit organization.
18–55years old to join
- Who it’s for
- People who live in the United States, aged 18 to 55.
- Language
- English
Who this suits People aged 36 to 55, past NMDP’s age limit.
Gift of Life Marrow Registry
Gift of Life Marrow Registry is a nonprofit organization.
18–35years old to join
- Who it’s for
- People who live in the United States, aged 18 to 35.
- Language
- English
Who this suits Americans living abroad, who Gift of Life says may join.
Read Gift of Life Marrow Registry’s own page (opens in a new tab)
Cord blood donation
NMDP
Run by National Marrow Donor Program, a nonprofit organization.
- Languages
- English and Spanish
Link checked Read NMDP’s own page (opens in a new tab)
For patients and families
NMDP
Run by National Marrow Donor Program, a nonprofit organization.
- Languages
- English and Spanish
Who can join
These are NMDP’s rules, in short. Its own pages have the full list, and the registry decides.
- Where you live
- The United States.
- Age to join
- 18 to 35
- How long you stay on the registry
- Until your 61st birthday, unless you ask to leave.
- Your health
- Most healthy adults can join. Some conditions rule it out. Read the registry’s health rules (opens in a new tab)
What happens after you join
From your sample to a possible call. Each registry runs its own process; these are the steps they share.
Check you can join.
NMDP sets its own age range and health rules. Its own pages have them.
Give a sample.
The registry takes a sample to record your tissue type. Its own pages say how.
You’re on the registry.
Your tissue type is recorded, so searches for patients can find you.
If you match a patient.
The registry contacts you, checks you’re still willing and well, and arranges more tests.
Donation.
If you go ahead, you’ll donate blood stem cells or bone marrow. The registry explains what’s involved and supports you through it.
Keep your contact details up to date so the registry can reach you. What donating is like
Questions
Can I join if I’m not a citizen?
Registries usually decide by where you live, not by nationality. NMDP’s own rules say who can join.
I’m already on another country’s registry. Do I join again?
Registries share their lists with searches around the world, so ask your registry before you join a second one.
Is giving blood the same as joining?
Giving blood helps patients who need transfusions. It doesn’t put you on a stem cell donor registry unless that registry says it does.
Who is the Jada Bascom Foundation?
We’re a US charity. We don’t run a registry, and we aren’t part of NMDP. We help people find the official registry where they live.
Live somewhere else?
Registries usually sign up people by where they live, not by nationality.
- American Samoa
- Guam
- Northern Mariana Islands
- Puerto Rico
- United States Virgin Islands
- All countries and territories
Learn more
BE SOMEONE’S TORSTEN
The same search found Jada’s donor in Germany.
Jada was a baby in Spokane, Washington, when doctors found she had acute myeloid leukemia. Her match was a stranger five thousand miles away: Torsten, who had joined the DKMS registry at a donor drive in Germany the year before she was born. If you live in the United States, your place in that search starts with NMDP.
CHECKED BEFORE IT WAS PUBLISHED
Sources
The registries’ own pages
- NMDP. Join the donor registry | NMDP (Formerly Be The Match) (opens in a new tab). Undated.Checked
- NMDP. Join the donor registry | NMDP (my.nmdp.org registration app) (opens in a new tab). Undated.Checked
Government and official registers
- Jada Bascom Foundation. About us: Jada’s story. Undated.Checked
Research and other sources
- ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer (mirror of IRS data). National Marrow Donor Program, EIN 84-0865803 (opens in a new tab). Undated.Checked
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