WASHINGTON — Be the Match, a nonprofit that connects bone marrow donors and transplant recipients, stands to lose $3 million in federal funding due to sequester budget cuts. This means an estimated 20,000 volunteer donors may not be added to the national registry, lowering the number of potential life-saving matches. Volunteers held a donor drive in the Hart Senate Office Building recently, while others met with senators, trying to secure vital funding. Advocates are trying to send a message to Congress: That funding can make a life or death difference for patients with blood and marrow cancers.
