Donate bone marrow to save lives

Martin Ducret, doctor and journalist at “Quotidien du Médecin”, talks to us today about bone marrow donation, which produces all of our blood cells. Not to be confused with the spinal cord.

Bone marrow donation, a necessary gesture to save lives. Martin Ducret explains to us why today this “gift” still suffers from many prejudices.

franceinfo: People fear donating their bone marrow, and this of course limits the number of donors?

Martin Ducret: Yes absolutely. First of all, we must not confuse the bone marrow – which is present in all our bones, such as those of the pelvis for example – and the spinal cord which is a bundle of nerves, located in the spine.

The bone marrow is responsible for the production of all of our blood cells (red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets) essential for life. And in some people, the bone marrow malfunctions, leading to serious blood diseases, such as leukemia.

The only way to cure is to replace this diseased marrow with a new one, thanks to a transplant from a compatible donor. This concerns 2000 patients per year.

How is a bone marrow sample taken for donation?

If you followed me correctly, the sample is not taken from the spine but in 80% of cases, thanks to a blood sample, which takes around 4 hours, and is not painful. A bit like giving blood to donate platelets.

In the remaining 20% ​​of cases, bone marrow is collected through a puncture in the pelvic bone, carried out under general anesthesia in the hospital. In any case, you should know that a bone marrow donation is very different from an organ donation, since the cells collected regenerate within a few days.

Who can be a donor?

Not everyone unfortunately, “because to register as a potential donor, you must be in good health, be between 18 and 35 years old, and carry out a saliva test or a small blood test to define the donor’s ‘biological identity card’, explains Dr Catherine Faucher, hematologist at the Biomedicine Agency. That is to say, once registered, the donation will be made months or years – on average eight years – after registration, and only if the donor’s ‘biological identity card’ is compatible with that of a patient who needs a transplant.” If you register at 21 or 34 for example, you can be called up until you are 60.

So if you are between 18 and 35 years old, go register on the dedicated site for bone marrow donation, or otherwise, talk about it to those around you. I can tell you that this donation saves lives. One of my close friends is alive and well, thanks to a bone marrow transplant, carried out two years ago.