Nick Glasgow: Online social media campaign to save a life

May 19, 1:54 PMSF Internet ExaminerTracy Yen

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Source: Facebook Group

UPDATED 

Many may have heard of Nick Glasgow, Fremont, Calif. resident who is desperately searching for compatiable bone marrow for transplant. Due to his mixed heritage of 1/4 Japanese and 3/4 Caucasian, his chances of a match greatly decrease. The Internet and television is littered with pleas for individuals of Asian descent to check if there is a match. Most intriguing is the use of social media, namely Facebook, Twitter and blogs to cast a wide net.

A human face in the shape of Nick Glasgow is spread across the Internet to find much needed help in the Silicon Valley and around the world. With an aunt from Australia posting to the Facebook group dedicated the bone marrow search, she adds a broader reach and underlines the global reach of the Web.

According to the Asian American Donor Program based in Alameda, Calif., there are 7.4 million registered donors in the U.S. of which only 219,000 are of multiple races. Potential donors of ASian descent total 532,000 registered donors, which equals about 7.2 percent of the total.

Why ethnicity matters?
As with organ donation matching, close compatibility is critical. The highest likelihood to find a match for bone marrow and organ donation is first an identical twin, siblings, parents, relatives and then it's a similar ethnic background. It's a matter of genetics, though matches are often found from complete strangers.

For bone marrow, the donor needs compatible human leukocyte antigen (HLA) tissue. Found in most cells in your body, the immune system relies on these markers to recognize cells as belonging to the body. Although the key factor is partially up to chance to find a match, it is heavily dependent upon minimizing the possibility of rejection.

How to help
Check here to find a local bone marrow drive set up specifically to expediate testing for Nick Glasgow or get a kit from the Asian American Donor Program for a quick cheek swab. Before running to the local drive, you must be between the ages of 18-60 and be in relatively good health. The actual donation is unclear at this point. It could be a blood draw or a more complicated procedure, it will be determined with the most compatible match is found.

Currently Nick is at the Kaiser Permanente Hayward Medical Center helping to stuff donor kits, hoping for a match.

Close to my heart
The struggles of Nick Glasgow is too common for those in the San Francisco Bay Area and thousands across the country. According to Donate Life America, almost 100,000 men, women and children are currently waiting for various organs. My sister is one of the thousands as she needs a kidney. Please consider giving the thousands of people a second chance.