William Beaumont Army Medical Center hosts bone marrow drive

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- William Beaumont Army Medical Center wants you to consider becoming a bone marrow donor. The process differs from donating blood. First, potential donors need to get a cheek swab. Then the center sends that sample to an organization that pairs the donor with a patient in need of a bone marrow transplant.

Unlike with blood, it can be difficult to match donors and patients. Shared heritage plays an important role in the pairing process. If the donor finds a match, the procedure to extract the bone marrow is also more involved than donating blood.

The medical center is trying to break the record for the number of new registered donors with this drive. The drive runs through January 27. Officials say that Fort Bliss already boasts the highest division donations in the military.