Give the gift of life: donate bone marrow Published Aug. 19, 2009 By Airman 1st Class Shen-Chia Chu 436th AW Public Affairs DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. -- Five minutes may not seem like a lot of time, but for 7,000 Americans waiting for a bone marrow transplant, five minutes may save their life. Team Dover members can become a bone marrow donor and help save a life by registering at the upcoming fifth annual C.W. Bill Young Department of Defense Marrow Donor Program registration drive at the Base Theater, Aug. 28 from 11 - 4 p.m. "It makes all the difference in the world in finding a match because bone marrow recipients are waiting to get that one phone call," said Tech. Sgt. Michael Meinhold 9th Airlift Squadron flight engineer and bone marrow registration coordinator since 2005. "Some people look forward to living decades and decades - watching their kids grow up and graduate, but those waiting for marrow donations are worrying about just living long enough to have a birthday," he said. Many of those in need of a transplant cannot find a donor, but Sergeant Meinhold believes that by taking five minutes to register, donors can help to make a difference and become a part of someone's life - for the rest of their life. "Bone marrow donation is a process where doctors remove a small amount of bone marrow from the donor and transplant it into the recipient," said Sergeant Meinhold. "The recipients' body then reproduces the new marrow and begins the process of healing itself of whatever caused the problem in the first place." Currently, there are more than 70 different diseases which require individuals to receive a marrow donation to survive. To register, donors will fill out a brief questionnaire, sign a consent form and use four cotton swabs to collect DNA samples from the inside of the cheeks. DoD civilians, servicemembers and their families who wish to register must be age 18 - 60. For more information about the C.W. Bill Young DoD Marrow Program, visit www.dodmarrow.org.