It wasn’t too long ago when I discussed the issue of health care acknowledging the biracial community. And ever since, I’ve noticed there are many discussions on some of the new changes. One of the most intriguing is the one regarding bone marrow donors. The increasing population of biracial people has made it more difficult to for bone marrow matching among biracial patients. It was never a thought before, but it makes total sense.
As I endlessly surf the internet for interracial topics, I stumbled across an article regarding Nick Glasgow. Nick is Japanese-American suffering from Leukemia. According to the doctors he would have a 90% chance of finding a bone marrow donor if he was white. But because he’s biracial, the chance drops significantly.
“At a time when the number of multiracial Americans is rising, only a tiny fraction of donors on the national bone-marrow registry are of mixed race. The National Marrow Donor Program is trying to change that by seeking more diverse donors for patients suffering from leukemia, lymphoma and other blood diseases.
The number of people who identify themselves as multiracial in the United States has grown from 3.9 million in 2000, the first year the census included the category, to 5.2 million in 2008. Mixed-race people account for 1.6 percent of the U.S. population.” *
As I read the article it made me aware of the challenges that the medical community faces. It wasn’t that long ago when Dirt Bike Boy was in the hospital. Even though he didn’t suffer from cancer, you always want every medical advancement to use in cases of emergency. Since Texas is statistically a popular state for interracial relationships, maybe I should help organize a local bone marrow drive for biracial donors.
Has anyone else experienced any medical challenges because of the their biracial heritage?
*Article excerpt from AP writer Julianna Barbosa.
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I thought that the statistic of the biracial population would be a lot higher. I guess I just live in an area with a lot of biracial people.
I really hope that you never need a bone marrow transplant for your son. But I applaud you for thinking about things like this ahead of time.
Sandras last blog post..Wink Wink
Great topic. I recently lost a friend when he may have lived had they found a donor for him. He was 44 years old and a Metis (Canadian Indian and French Canadian). His chances of finding a match outside his family were slim. I am of the same heritage but did not match and neither did his wife. I will be travelling to Montreal to visit a girlfriend who is getting a transplant in Septemeber after being on the list for 5 years. She has made it this long because of stem cell transplants.
Any attention you can draw to this issue could be very helpful. I just recently updated my profile for the marrow search list so they can always find me if they find a match. Hopefully more people will see the need and get tested and listed.