QUESTION: Can you be a marrow match for someone who has a different blood type then your own?

ANSWER: Yes you can be a match. You don't have to have matching blood types to be a marrow match. Marrow is matched by the compatibility of inherited genetic markers, specifically 6 antigens known as your HLA Markers. These markers and not blood type are what is relevant in finding a marrow match.

QUESTION:Can someone be tested only for Tami's needs and not become part of the National Donor Registry?

ANSWER: The simple answer here is www.MarrowTest.com is the only place that conducts private testing for a patients friends and the general public.

A hospital may offer private testing but usually only to a patient's family since that is where the hightest likelihood of a findiing a donor will be.

After calling the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and the Puget Sound Blood Bank, I called direct to the Hutch.

I spoke with someone at their Clinical Coordinator's Office and here's what she told me:

There are no private testing facilities. Hospitals will privately test family members only. HLA testing is a very specific test and because the cost is so prohibitive no regular doctors or clinics offer it to their patients.

The only private testing company all three locations told me about was the www.MarrowTest.com (aka Kashi Clinical Laboratories) website. The cost for that test is a minimum $175.

The thing is if that test results proves to be a strong potential match the Hutch would then need to pursue the more formal testing called "Confirmatory Typing" which will cost around $3000.

She said some insurance companies might cover that cost but others probably won't.

I then called the National Donor Program to verify what I could and yes, it looks like www.MarrowTest.com is the only place to conduct private testing.