Black bone marrow registry raises awareness

MINNEAPOLIS — Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins rose to fame as an actress, singer and member of the popular 90s musical group TLC — all while quietly battling sickle cell disease. Now, she is lending her famous voice to encourage people, especially those in the African-American community, to join the Be The Match Registry® as potential bone marrow donors and help others — like 11-year-old Imani Cornelius — fight similar life-threatening diseases.

Watkins has partnered with Be The Match® on two public service announcements. The PSAs will hit the airwaves and the Internet in July, which is African American Bone Marrow Awareness Month. Donor registry drives will also take place nationwide throughout the month.

“As a person with sickle cell disease and an advocate for everyone fighting this disease, I was naturally drawn to Be The Match,” Watkins said. “Unfortunately, myths about bone marrow donation keep many people from joining the Be The Match Registry and potentially saving a life. That is why I am passionate about encouraging everyone to learn the facts about bone marrow donation through these PSAs. We need more African Americans to step up.”

A bone marrow transplant can be a cure for someone with sickle cell disease or other illnesses like leukemia and lymphoma. Most patients who need transplants do not have a match in their family and depend on the Be The Match Registry to find a match.

But many African Americans and other minorities can’t find marrow donors — like Imani Cornelius, of Minneapolis. Imani was recently diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and her only hope for a cure is a bone marrow transplant. Her doctors continue to search the Be The Match Registry for a matching donor, but that search has not been easy as Imani is biracial.

This article originally published in the July 11, 2011 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.