My NMDP card shows I registered through the HLA Registry in 1991! That basically ensures that none of the contact info they'd have had for me was current. I may have updated it more recently, such as when a drive came through Ithaca in the last few years, but I wasn't sure. I filled out the update form on their web site.
I'd met Robbie at Shore Leave but never really spent any time with him. His father Bob, though, is someone I always made a point of saying hi to and chatting briefly with. This year I got to say hi, but he was in the middle of something.
I don't know how Bob and the rest of the family feel, but I do know that as someone who has a family member with leukemia, i appreciate when people are willing to donate blood and register for the bone marrow donor program, despite the inconveniences and potential discomfort.
If you're already registered, thank you! Please take a moment to make sure your contact info is current. If you're not registered yet, please consider it. Registration drives are often done alongside blood drives, so there's no need for a separate tissue typing step. In-person registration drives are often sponsored or subsidized, though sometimes there's a processing fee. You can also join the registry online and have a tissue typing cheek-swab kit sent to you for $52.
In the coming weeks, the NASCAR Foundation is holding its third-annual blood and marrow drive at dozens of participating racetracks, where you'll be able to register at no cost, and from September 7th-22nd, you'll be able to register online at no cost. (Yes, Watkins Glen International Racetrack is participating, with a drive on September 11th.)
Lots more info and ways to help: http://www.marrow.org/
