What she thought was a common cold turned out to be life-threatening for Martha Sullivan. A late night trip to the ER led to doctors discovering that she had leukemia.

The next day, Martha began chemotherapy. She received multiple blood and platelet transfusions to help prepare her body for a bone marrow transplant. Just four months after her diagnosis, Martha’s match was found and she underwent the transplant that helped save her life.

“Because of blood and bone marrow donors, I am a leukemia survivor,” says Martha. “Every day is a new beginning, so love life!”

Many patients with life-threatening illnesses rely on bone marrow transplants.

The Be The Match marrow donor registry is operated by the National Marrow Donor Program and has been helping patients receive life-saving bone marrow transplants for nearly 30 years. Bone marrow transplants can help patients suffering from a variety of illnesses, including leukemia, lymphoma and sickle cell disease.

Learn more about marrow donation and join the Be The Match registry.