Quanaisha Smith swabs her cheek Wednesday at a drive for potential bone marrow donors held at Virginia Union University. The event was organized by the James River Valley Chapter of The Links Inc. to widen the diversity among the pool of potential donors on the national registry. Bone marrow transplants are used to treat sickle cell anemia, aplastic anemia and certain cancers, including lymphoma and leukemia. According to the Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation, many African-Americans die unnecessarily because of the lack of donors. The foundation says the best chance of finding a match is with someone of similar race or ethnicity. Widening diversity in the registry is crucial to finding matches for all patients in need, particularly patients of color.
