III 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 205 

Supporting the goals and ideals of African American Bone Marrow Awareness 

Month. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 24, 2009 

Ms. STABENOW (for herself and Mr. ISAKSON) submitted the following 

resolution; which was considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Supporting the goals and ideals of African American Bone 

Marrow Awareness Month. 

Whereas a bone marrow or blood cell transplant is a potentially life-saving treatment for patients with leukemia, 

lymphoma, and other blood diseases; 

Whereas a bone marrow or blood cell transplant replaces a 

patient’s unhealthy blood cells with healthy blood-forming 

cells from a volunteer donor; 

Whereas a patient who does not have a suitably matching 

donor in the family may search the National Marrow 

Donor Program Donor Registry for a donor; 

Whereas blood or cell samples from adult donors or cord 

blood units are tested and the tissue or cell type is added 

to the National Marrow Donor Program Donor Registry, 


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•SRES 205 ATS 

and physicians may search that registry when they need 

to find donors whose tissue type matches their patients’; 

Whereas African Americans make up 8 percent of, or more 

than 550,000 of the 7,000,000 people currently on, the 

National Marrow Donor Program Donor Registry; 

Whereas of the 35,000 people that have received transplants 

since the inception of the National Marrow Donor Program Donor Registry, only 1,500 have been African 

Americans; 

Whereas more than 70 life-threatening diseases can be treated with a bone marrow transplant; 

Whereas there is a possibility that an African American patient could match a donor from any racial or ethnic 

group, but the most likely match is another African 

American; 

Whereas to become a volunteer donor, potential donors must 

be between 18 and 60 years of age, meet health guidelines, provide a small blood sample or swab of cheek cells 

to determine the donor’s tissue type, complete a brief 

health questionnaire, and sign a consent form to have the 

tissue type of the donor listed on the Donor Registry; 

Whereas the Bone Marrow Wish Organization, which is a minority-run nonprofit organization based in Detroit that 

was started by an actual bone marrow donor, is initiating 

‘‘African American Bone Marrow Awareness Month’’; 

Whereas the annual month of awareness would promote 

donor awareness and increase the number of African 

Americans registered with the National Marrow Donor 

Program throughout the Nation; and 


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•SRES 205 ATS 

Whereas July 2009 would be an appropriate month to observe African American Bone Marrow Awareness Month: 

Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) supports the goals and ideals of African 

3 American Bone Marrow Awareness Month; 

4 (2) urges the people of the United States to 

5 participate in appropriate programs and activities 

6 with respect to bone marrow awareness, including 

7 speaking with health care professionals about bone 

8 marrow donation; and 

9 (3) urges all people of the United States to reg10 ister to become blood marrow donors and encourages 

11 all people of the United States to organize blood 

12 marrow registration drives in their communities. 

Æ 


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