Bone Marrow Donor Drive Tuesday For Police Officer

SAN RAFAEL, CA – San Rafael police are holding a bone marrow donor drive Tuesday in support of a fellow officer in Southern California.

The San Rafael Police Department is hosting the event to help find a match for Officer Matthew Medina, a seven-year veteran of the Los Angeles Police Department. Medina is suffering from Aplastic Anemia, a blood disorder that requires a bone marrow transplant to survive.

Although the drive is for Medina, Sgt. Lisa Holton said anyone who submits a sample will be entered into the bone marrow donor registry.

"This donor drive will increase awareness surrounding the bone marrow donor program," Sgt. Lisa Holton said. "Maybe we can find a match for someone else in need."

The donor drive is hosted in partnership with the Asian American Donor Program, a multi-ethnic program that encourages people from all ethnicities to become donors.

Unlike other types of transplants, bone marrow donations are required to be even more genetically similar to their recipients. The success rate to find matches is much higher between donors and patients of the same ethnic background.

Medina is Filipino. Currently, Filipinos comprise only a half percent of people registered as potential marrow donors, making the odds of finding a match such an overwhelming challenge.

The donor drive will take place 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday in the lobby of San Rafael City Hall.

Interested donors can register in person at the drive. To register for the program, prospective donors must answer some basic questions regarding their health and be between the ages of 18 and 44 years old.

For more information about bone marrow donation, visit the "Be The Match" website. The sample collection requires a swab of the inside of the donor's cheek.

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