I'm a U.S. citizen, so I signed up with Be The Match. Four cheek swabs that they send you in the mail. Swab your cheeks, package them up, send them back.

I got notified that I was a preliminary match just five months after signing up. Sadly, I wasn't a full match (hopefully someone else was!) after going through the blood draw.

All in all, it cost me nothing monetarily and maybe 3 hours total between questionnaires and the blood draw when I got matched.

I'd rather worry about the bone marrow donation. Once you sign up, you potentially have to give bone marrow or have to live with the fact that you could've saved someones life, but didn't.

Anyone know if that's still the case or if there is a way to get tests and cleared for donations?

The surgeons second line was "don't worry we have really good drugs for HIV these days"

In the end we agreed that given my age and I then had fairly good function left that letting some on else have it was for the best

I lived in Germany for three years in the '00s so I'm ineligible.

Shameless Plug: The football coach at the college I went to actually has a charity dedicated to getting more people to take the test and I think is associated with the Be The Match organization. One of his players (who now happens to be an outfielder for the Chicago Cubs http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/baseball/cubs/ct-matt-s... ) ended up being a match and ended up missing a good chunk of the baseball season even though he was expected to be drafted by a Major league team that year. Pretty cool story

Thanks for promoting this cause!

I'm curious, how does it matter?

Recipients are more likely to match with donors of similar ethnic backgrounds. Today, Black, Hispanic, Asian, and American Indian patients are far less likely to find a match in the registry than White patients.

http://content.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1993074,0...

I thought about donating but my doctor discouraged me and advised me to take it serious, e.g. don't lie while filling out the donation forms. Even though it probably would turn out fine someone could die because of you which is exactly the opposite of what you've signed up for.

It looks like fibromyalgia does make you ineligible.

I donate plasma twice a week, i have for years now. 880mL of plasma every donation... Whereas blood you have to wait 8 weeks between...

Not saying blood is less important, just important to understand there are options... all of it is important, and i think everyone should be donating something in their body like blood/plasma that is renewable and costs your body next to nothing to give...

My entire family and all our friends signed up once they realized how easy it was. Do it.

The day after the House passed the awful AHCA, it's nice to feel I am doing something to potentially improve the health of another.

Don't look and prepare mentally that you're not going to die there. I know it sounds absurd but the "fight or flight" situation kicks in and, like with panic attacks, the fear of actually dying probably leads you to pass out probably.

I have a friend who's girlfriend was driving one day and the car slipped off the road going towards an electrical pillar (it didn't hit it though because my friend managed to grab the wheel). Near the collision point with that pillar his girlfriend passed out, in an instant. We laughed at that situation for years. They ended up in someone's yard, killing a poor dog in his little house.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/166968-why-do-people-pass-...

However, that doesn't answer cuts. Does it happen on any sight of blood or only your blood?

I know a bit about this due to having researched after I gave blood the first time. Ends up the person was not very experienced and ended up drawing from muscle instead of a blood vessel. I was in for probably about 20 minutes with only half a bag before they gave up and sent me on my way. Walking from the parking lot to the office, I got lightheaded, nauseated, cold sweats, some gastrointestinal effects... But did not pass out. In my case, I think it's blood sugar related, as I had a similar reaction once while fasting.

Instead, start tensing muscles in your body - legs, hands, wherever. This keeps the blood pumping to your brain so you don't faint.

It absolutely works. I can even watch them draw the blood now and feel fine.

0: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasovagal_syncope