POLARIS POINT, Guam (NNS) -- Hospital corpsmen assigned to the submarine tender USS Frank Cable (AS 40) and U.S. Naval Hospital Guam, held a Bone Marrow Registry Drive at Polaris Point Jan. 3-4.
The purpose of the drive was to disseminate information about the new process of collecting bone marrow.
"We are trying to get rid of that stigma of pain," said Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Rebecca Jones, assigned to U.S. Naval Hospital Guam. "Most people know about the old, painful method with the giant needle. This new process is not as bad. It is just like donating a unit of blood."
The drive was held across the Department of Defense (DoD) allowing Sailors and anyone who is DoD sponsored and between the age of 18 and 60 to be placed into the registry. Donors filled out personal information and gave cheek swab samples.
Jones said everyone who is able to enter the registry, should.
"You could be in the registry and never get called up or you can get called up and once they do a little bit more testing, you may not be a match," said Jones.
"Finding a match is hard," said Hospital Corpsman 1st Class Edgardo Victorino, assigned to Frank Cable, "So the more people who register, the more selections there are for them to pick out someone compatible."
During the drive, the corpsmen explained the benefits of being a bone marrow donor.
"You never know who will need it some day, said Victorino. "It could be your wife or child. It's an opportunity to save someone's life."
"The people you are donating to are dying so you are giving somebody a second chance at life that they would never have," said Jones. "If you really think about it, it is two weeks of a little bit of discomfort for you and a whole lifetime for that person you are donating to."
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