Eight minutes of your life to save someone else's.

A friend of mine has leukemia and she needs a bone marrow transplant.

At this time, she does not have a donor match.

PLEASE consider registering to become a bone marrow donor at www.BeTheMatch.Org.

Seriously, it could not be easier. You go to their website and sign up. This will take about 5 minutes. Then a few days later, you get a kit in the mail and you swab the inside of your cheeks a few times, stick some labels on things and put the envelope back in the mail. You don't even pay postage.

Many people have been on the registry for years and have never been called. If you are lucky enough to be a match for someone, you will either have a non-surgical procedure or an outpatient surgical procedure to extract marrow. The latter, the outpatient surgical procedure, will leave the donor with a sore back for a few days. But while you are recovering, someone else is getting the marrow they need to save their life.

So. Check it out. If you are 18 to 60 and in reasonable health, you should be good to go.