Taylor Castro has dedicated her life to her family and community, but the young mother of three never expected that she would one day be in need of a bone marrow transplant. 

In early October 2018, six months after giving birth to her youngest daughter, Castro was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. Her best hope for a cure is a bone marrow transplant. 

“Even before my diagnosis, I knew about the importance of people joining the registry,” Castro said. “Now that I am actually in it, I can really see how sad it is. Not that many people are on the registry and a lot of people are dying.” 

Castro has worked as a document control coordinator at the South Texas Blood and Tissue Center (STBTC), a subsidiary of nonprofit BioBridge Global, for almost two years. She also has volunteered for marrow awareness events, including World Marrow Donor Day. 

When Allison Higgins signed up for the national marrow donor registry more than four years ago, she never expected to be a match for a patient.

So when she learned she was a match in October 2018, she had no hesitations about donating – and neither did her family.

“Once I let them know what it was all about, my family was really excited,” said Higgins, who is an accountant with Apple based in Austin. “They said, ‘This is an incredible opportunity. This is so great that you’re able to help someone in this way.’”

November is National Marrow Awareness Month, when organizations like GenCure, a subsidiary of San Antonio nonprofit BioBridge Global, recognize stem cell and bone marrow donors who help save lives around the world and raise awareness about the marrow registry.