My throat tightened up and my knees buckled as I absorbed the truth. The man who raised me from birth was now fighting for his life. Unfortunately, this happens in households across the nation every day.

My father was diagnosed with chronic myelogenous leukemia, a blood cancer that increases white blood cells to the point that they start taking over the entire body.

At first, we weren’t sure if any medicines would help him, so most of my family tried to be added to the National Marrow Donor Program registry in case he needed a bone marrow transplant, which could save his life.

We were surprised to find out that even family genetics usually do not match closely enough to accept bone marrow. Only 30 percent of patients needing a transplant can find a match within their own families.

My uncle was his only hope, but that hope faded because he wasn’t a match either. So we went to the registry. He was lucky — there were two matches for him in Germany.

And he was even luckier that he never even needed the transplant because a new drug called Gleevec put him in remission.

But right now, in the U.S., there are 6,000 people still waiting for a life-saving transplant. Some of these people have just a few weeks left to live. Many of these people are minorities who are not able to find matches within the registry. Only 50 percent of minorities are able to find a genetic match.

Becoming a match for someone is simple.

It’s just a swab of your cheek to be sent to a lab for genetic testing. Bone marrow donors are no longer required to give any sort of blood sample on site, and it’s all done via cheek swabs.

With new technology, the actual transplant also has become less invasive and works much like plasma donations. In those instances, blood is taken out through a procedure known as apheresis, where blood runs through a blood cell separator machine that extracts the stem cells and returns the blood back into your arm in just a few hours. This is called peripheral blood stem cell donation, and in most cases, donors are back to work the next day with few side effects.

Bone marrow donations also can be done via surgery where doctors use hollow needles to withdraw liquid marrow from the back of your pelvic bones. Recovery from this surgery can take a few days.

On Saturday, University Lutheran Church, 1020 S. Harrison Road, will hold a bone marrow and blood drive from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with free lunch for anyone who participates in the screening or tries to donate blood.

Although my father was fortunate enough to win his battle against cancer, others are not as lucky.

The National Marrow Donor Program list allows leukemia and lymphoma patients to find donors who potentially could save their lives. Even that minute hope keeps some people alive longer.

Some patients use the registry as a last resort, said Eric Trosko from the National Marrow Donor Program, Great Lakes Region.

“They’ve tried chemotherapy, radiation, and this is a last resort to even have a chance at living,” he said. “It’s not a guarantee.”

And how horrible would you feel knowing there are resources available that could potentially cure you, but you cannot have access to it? Or you just can’t wait that long because your body has given out?

Please donate Saturday anytime from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and get tested, eat a free lunch and listen to live jazz music. You might save someone’s life.

Call (517) 332-2559 for more information or to set up an appointment.

Corinne DeVries is a State News columnist and copy editor. Reach her at devrie58@msu.edu.