Rachel Urban has spent the last five days getting injections to increase the amount of stem cells in her blood.
Tomorrow Urban, a UNM sophomore, will undergo blood transfusions for several hours to remove them, in the hope they will help save a 15-year-old from leukemia.
"I hope she gets another chance," she said. "If she is able to go on to live a happy life, it will be worth it."
Urban is one of the more than 5 million potential bone marrow and stem cell donors across the country who are willing to donate their time and body to help total strangers suffering from debilitating diseases.
However, with more than 3,000 people looking for matches every day, the number of donors needs to increase, said Fae Jones, United Blood Services donor center coordinator.
In an effort to increase local efforts, United Blood Services, in conjunction with UNM's Student Health Center, is organizing the "Touchdown for Life!" marrow donor registration drive on campus.
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"People who donate their bone marrow really do it out of the goodness of their heart," Jones said. "It is really a time consuming, uncomfortable process."
Donors are critically important, she said, as many people have very few matches in the world.
"These people play a critically important role," Jones said. "They might be the only one who can save somebody's life someday."
Blood marrow and stem cells help cure more than 60 diseases, including leukemia and Hodgkin's disease, she said.
The National Marrow Donor Program is a national registry of potential bone marrow and stem cell donors.
Jones said interested people between the ages of 18 and 60 begin the process of joining the program by donating a sample of blood, which is genetically typed. Results are recorded and stored for the possibility that someone with a match can use it in the future.
Donors are kept on the registry until they reach the age of 60 or their health changes.
"Although we have strict guidelines for who can donate bone marrow and stem cells, they are less stringent than for blood donors," Jones said. "We really try to accept as many people into the program as we can."
She said although people voluntarily join the program, they are not forced to donate should a matching patient be found for them.
"It's not set in stone. Everybody has the freedom to decide not to go through with it," Jones said. "However, we prefer that people who are sincere about their willingness to save a life join."
She said there is a large need for minority donors, because people of certain nationalities tend to match only with each other.
"There is a severe shortage of minority donors because the registry began in the northwest part of the country, which is mostly populated by Caucasians," Jones said.
Today's donor registry will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in room 155 of the Student Health Center.
