III 111th CONGRESS 1st Session S. RES. 205 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES June 24, 2009 Ms. Stabenow (for herself and Mr. Isakson) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Supporting the goals and ideals of African American Bone Marrow Awareness Month.

Whereas a bone marrow or blood cell transplant is a potentially life-saving treatment for patients with leukemia, lymphoma, and other blood diseases; Whereas a bone marrow or blood cell transplant replaces a patient’s unhealthy blood cells with healthy blood-forming cells from a volunteer donor; Whereas a patient who does not have a suitably matching donor in the family may search the National Marrow Donor Program Donor Registry for a donor; Whereas blood or cell samples from adult donors or cord blood units are tested and the tissue or cell type is added to the National Marrow Donor Program Donor Registry, and physicians may search that registry when they need to find donors whose tissue type matches their patients’; Whereas African Americans make up 8 percent of, or more than 550,000 of the 7,000,000 people currently on, the National Marrow Donor Program Donor Registry; Whereas of the 35,000 people that have received transplants since the inception of the National Marrow Donor Program Donor Registry, only 1,500 have been African Americans; Whereas more than 70 life-threatening diseases can be treated with a bone marrow transplant; Whereas there is a possibility that an African American patient could match a donor from any racial or ethnic group, but the most likely match is another African American; Whereas to become a volunteer donor, potential donors must be between 18 and 60 years of age, meet health guidelines, provide a small blood sample or swab of cheek cells to determine the donor’s tissue type, complete a brief health questionnaire, and sign a consent form to have the tissue type of the donor listed on the Donor Registry; Whereas the Bone Marrow Wish Organization, which is a minority-run nonprofit organization based in Detroit that was started by an actual bone marrow donor, is initiating African American Bone Marrow Awareness Month; Whereas the annual month of awareness would promote donor awareness and increase the number of African Americans registered with the National Marrow Donor Program throughout the Nation; and Whereas July 2009 would be an appropriate month to observe African American Bone Marrow Awareness Month: Now, therefore, be it

That the Senate— (1)supports the goals and ideals of African American Bone Marrow Awareness Month; (2)urges the people of the United States to participate in appropriate programs and activities with respect to bone marrow awareness, including speaking with health care professionals about bone marrow donation; and (3)urges all people of the United States to register to become blood marrow donors and encourages all people of the United States to organize blood marrow registration drives in their communities.