Be The Match

Contact: 888-999-6743 or patientinfo@nmdp.org
Population served: Patients, caregivers and families before, during and after a blood or marrow transplant (BMT), healthcare professionals, researchers
Mission:

To create an opportunity for all patients to receive the blood, marrow, or umbilical cord blood transplant they need; to provide free support, information and transplant-related resources 

• Be The Match, operated by the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP), manages the largest and most diverse marrow registry in the world; conducts research to improve transplant outcomes; provides legislative advocacy to protect patient access to care; provides clinical education for healthcare professionals
• Certified oncology patient navigators and licensed social workers provide confidential, one-on-one support and reliable, easy-to-understand information from diagnosis through recovery.  Emotional support is provided through counseling and support groups as well as through connections with others who’ve been through transplant
• Helps to access financial grants and insurance resources, including Be The Match grants
• Provides personalized support to search for and join clinical trials, including the Jason Carter Clinical Trials Program.  Visit www.jcctp.org or call 888-814-8610 for details.

Blood & Marrow Transplant Information Network (BMT InfoNet)

Contact: 847-433-3313
Population served: Transplant patients, survivors and their caregivers in the U.S.
Other language(s): Spanish
Mission:

BMT InfoNet is dedicated to providing transplant patients, survivors and their loved ones with emotional support and high quality, easy-to-understand information about bone marrow, peripheral blood stem cell and cord blood transplants.

• Offers easy-to-understand information about bone marrow, peripheral blood stem cell and cord blood transplants
• Transplant Directory search tool
• Educational webcasts
• Caring Connections, a program that links people who are considering a transplant, or a family member, with others who have been through transplant and can offer support
• Counseling services to help patients understand treatment options and potential healthcare providers
• BMT InfoNet Drug Database is a guide that lists many of the drugs bone marrow, stem cell and cord blood transplants patients receive during treatment; it explains why they are used and some of the possible side effects.

• Patient Assistance Fund offers a limited amount of financial assistance for gas, food, rent or other necessities. Social workers may apply on behalf of a patient via phone or email at help@bmtinfonet.org

BMTSupport.org

Contact: Website only
Population served: People with an interest in bone marrow and stem cell transplantation, worldwide
Mission:

To motivate, empower and enlighten people with an interest in bone marrow transplantation through peer support, education and awareness of this difficult but potentially life-saving procedure.

• Offers an online “Chat Room” three times weekly to share information and network with others.

Cord Blood Registry

Contact: 888.CORD.BLOOD or 888.932.6568
Population served: Patients, families, caregivers
Other language(s): Spanish and Chinese
Mission:

To advance the clinical application of newborn stem cells by partnering with leading research institutions to establish FDA-regulated clinical trials, exclusive to CBR families, for conditions that have no cure today.

• Newborn Possibilities Program® offers free cord blood and tissue processing and five years of storage to qualifying families in the U.S.
• Genetic counselors are available to discuss your family’s medical history and to answer questions about how newborn stem cells might be applicable to your family.

DKMS

Contact: 212-209-6700
Population served: Individuals willing to donate bone marrow or organize a donor drive
Other language(s): Spanish, German and Polish
Mission:

To fight against blood cancer and blood disorders by creating awareness, recruiting bone marrow donors, raising funds, improving therapies and supporting patients.

• Formerly known as Delete Blood Cancer DKMS, this international nonprofit provides information about registering to be a donor, organizing donor drives, and the process of donating bone marrow.
• DKMS is affiliated with the National Marrow Donor Program, so every person registered with DKMS is listed on the Be The Match Registry®.

Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation

Contact: 800-962-7769
Population served: Gift of Life is one of the nation’s public bone marrow registries helping children and adults find donors for bone marrow transplants.
Mission:

To facilitate transplantation of volunteer unrelated donor stem cells as curative therapy for patients around the world of all socioeconomic backgrounds, suffering from leukemia and a wide-range of life-threatening diseases.

• Provides information on becoming a stem cell donor
• Provides information and resources about transplants
• Provides search process and case management to assist health professionals find donor matches for patients.

HelpHOPELive

Contact: 800-642-8399
Population served: Patients in need of financial help for a stem cell transplant
Mission:

To enable patients and families to use community-based fundraising to meet uncovered medical expenses related to transplantation or catastrophic injury

• Will work to raise funds on behalf of a patient with blood cancer when there is a possibility for a marrow/stem cell transplant as treatment
• Also provides direct financial assistance: incentive grants (to recognize fundraising progress); emergency grants (one-time assistance for eligible patients).

Icla da Silva Foundation

Contact: 888-638-2870
Population served: Those in need of a stem cell transplant or anyone looking to be a bone marrow donor
Other language(s): Spanish, Portuguese
Mission:

To save lives by recruiting bone marrow donors and by providing support services to children and adults with leukemia and other diseases treatable by marrow transplants.

Myeloma Crowd

Contact: Website
Population served: Patients with myeloma and caregivers
Other language(s): Spanish
Mission:

To empower patients each step of their disease journey – from diagnosis, through education, care and on to a cure.

• Myeloma Crowd is a division of The CrowdCare Foundation, a patient-driven nonprofit organization.  It provides online disease, treatment, clinical trial and research information, telephone/web education, articles, e-newsletter, videos, monthly meet-ups, and Facebook groups.  The website lists financial resources and myeloma specialists.  It also offers HealthTree, a patient-powered software tool to manage disease-related information such as medical history, test results and more.

National Bone Marrow Transplant Link (nbmtLINK)

Contact: 800-546-5268 or 248-358-1886
Population served: Patients, caregivers who have had or will have a bone marrow/stem cell transplant in the U.S.
Other language(s): Spanish, French
Mission:

To help patients, caregivers, and families cope with the social and emotional challenges of bone marrow/stem cell transplant from diagnosis through survivorship by providing vital information and personalized support services.

• Offers educational publications, webcasts, online library
• Provides an extensive volunteer peer support program
• Offers Telephone Education and Support Group for Bone Marrow/Stem Cell Transplant Survivors: Coping with Chronic Graft versus Host Disease (4 week program).

The Bone Marrow Foundation (BMF)

Contact: 212-838-3029 or 800-365-1336
Population served: Transplant patients and families, caregivers, survivors
Mission:

To improve the quality of life for bone marrow, stem cell, and cord blood transplant patients and their families by providing vital financial assistance, emotional support, and comprehensive educational programs.

• Patient Aid Program may provide a small amount of funding to help patients with very limited incomes cover the costs of donor searches, compatibility testing, bone marrow harvesting, medications, home and child care services, medical equipment, transportation, cord blood banking, housing costs and other expenses associated with the transplant
• One-to-One Fund is a personal fund created for a specific patient. BMF administers and maintains the Fund, and can offer support with fundraising ideas
• Lifeline Project will post the patient’s photo and story on a webpage so people can donate money directly to the patient to help cover costs associated with the transplant
• Offers resource listings and list of transplant centers in the U.S.
• Provides SupportLine - a free service that connects patients and caregivers undergoing a transplant with patients and caregivers who are post-transplant
• Offers Ask the Expert - a question-and-answer service where patients can email questions to health professionals about bone marrow and stem cell transplantation
• Survivorship Program provides resources that can address the needs of all bone marrow, stem cell, and cord blood transplant survivors, their families, and caregivers. Includes online discussion forum and NYC-based in person support group
• Provides publications about transplantation and related topics.