Michele Poliskin, the DKMS staff member in charge of organizing the Lewiston bone marrow drive, answers some questions about the donation process.

The drive is taking place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 22, at Farwell Elementary School, Farwell Street, Lewiston.

What’s the goal of the drive?

The goal is to get as many people as possible listed in the national bone marrow registry.

Registrants are not specifically for Jordan, Jorja, Julia and Tom, but for all the people looking for donors.

What happens if there is a match?

The donor will get contacted if they match any patient. If they do match, they have the option to decline donating.

ut if they agree to continue, they go through an exam to make sure that they are in good physical condition.

What’s donating like?

Eighty percent of the time, the donation is through the bloodstream. A couple of days prior to the actual donation, the patient takes a natural protein that increases circulation of the stem cells in the blood.

Then they go through the process to remove blood from one arm, drain out stem cells and return the blood to the other arm. It takes about four to six hours.

The other 20 percent of donors actually have to donate bone marrow. For the bone marrow extraction, a long needle is used to collect tissue from the pelvic bone, but the person is under anesthesia. The donor does not experience pain during the collection process.

The decision about which method is used is determined by the donor’s doctor and is based on a variety of factors.

What’s the donor’s recovery like?

People who have taken the natural protein said they felt flu-like symptoms, possibly a little achy, but it disappears upon donation.

For those who donate actual marrow, it’s common to feel soreness or pain in the lower back for a few days after the procedure. Most donors are back to their usual routine in a few days, and the marrow naturally replaces itself within four to six weeks.

Does it cost anything?

DKMS pays the $65 processing fee to get the drive participants registered. If someone is matched to be a donor, the subsequent fees are paid by the person receiving the cells, not the donor.

What if I want to donate but can’t come to the drive?

People who can’t come to the donor drive can log on to the Web site: www.dkmsamericas.org. They can request their own donor kit, which is sent directly to their home, and all that’s involved is filling out the form and cheek-swabbing themselves. Addressed envelopes are included and can be sent to get placed on the national registry.