Boozer brothers join NMDP to boost stem cell donor registry

Brothers Cameron, Cayden, and Carmani Boozer have partnered with NMDP to encourage more young adults to join its blood stem cell donor registry and help people with sickle cell disease (SCD), blood cancers, and other serious blood disorders access potentially curative transplants.

NMDP, formerly known as the National Marrow Donor Program and Be The Match, connects patients with matched donors and supports patients, families, and donors throughout the transplant process.

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The partnership has personal significance for the family. Carmani, the oldest of the three brothers, was cured of SCD at 21 months old after receiving a blood stem cell transplant. The transplant used umbilical cord blood from his twin brothers, Cameron and Cayden, who have since followed in the footsteps of their father, former NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer, on the basketball court.

“Cameron, Cayden and Carmani are using their voices in a powerful and deeply meaningful way,” Julie Smolich, NMDP’s senior vice president of marketing and community engagement, said in an organization press release.

“This cause is extremely personal for us,” Cameron said. “Our brother was cured of sickle cell disease by a blood stem cell transplant, and we want to share this part of our family’s history so we can raise awareness of the power of cell therapy.”

Cameron and Cayden will use social media, hospital visits, and appearances at NMDP Registry drives to raise awareness of the donor registry, while Carmani will share his experience to advocate for other patients seeking transplants.

“By sharing their family’s story, they’re helping others understand the life-changing impact of blood stem cell transplant and inspiring a new generation to act,” Smolich said. “We know that awareness leads to more donors, more support for patients and ultimately more lives saved—and the Boozer brothers are helping make that possible.”

Blood stem cell transplants may offer a cure for SCD

SCD is an inherited disease that results in the production of an abnormal version of hemoglobin, the protein inside red blood cells that carries oxygen. This causes red blood cells to become stiff and take on a crescent (or sickle) shape, making them prone to destruction and blood vessel blockage.

A blood stem cell transplant replaces a patient’s blood-forming stem cells with healthy cells from a donor. It can potentially cure SCD by allowing the body to produce healthy red blood cells that do not contain the disease-causing form of hemoglobin.

However, transplantation requires a suitably matched donor. NMDP said that about 75% of patients who need a transplant do not have a fully matched donor in their family and must search for an unrelated donor through a registry.

Expanding the number and diversity of registered donors is particularly important because patients are more likely to find a suitable match when the registry includes donors from a wide range of backgrounds.

“We’re incredibly proud to partner with NMDP,” Carmani said. “We know thousands of families each year are hoping for the same healing I was fortunate to receive but need an unrelated donor to give their loved one a second chance at life.”

Campaign urges young adults to join registry

The Boozer brothers are encouraging adults ages 18 to 35 to join the NMDP Registry. Registration begins with a cheek swab that is used to identify immune markers and determine whether a person may be a suitable match for a patient.

If a match is found, donation can involve either peripheral blood stem cells, collected from the bloodstream, or bone marrow, the spongy tissue inside bones where blood cells are formed.

“We want to inspire young adults across the country to join the NMDP Registry and offer hope to the countless patients awaiting a donor,” Cayden said. “You could be someone’s miracle—it starts with a simple cheek swab and if matched with a patient, your donation could be their best hope for a cure.”

In addition to raising awareness of the NMDP Registry, all three brothers will promote fundraising efforts to increase available patient assistance grants, “because financial cost is the number one barrier for patients in need of a transplant,” the release stated.

Costs may include travel, temporary housing, medications, and other expenses related to undergoing treatment away from home.

Last year, the nonprofit provided more than $7 million in patient assistance grants to more than 3,400 families. NMDP said the number of families seeking financial help has more than doubled compared with the previous year.

NMDP has a long history of fundraising efforts to reduce barriers to transplant. These included the NMDP Cycle series of charity rides, which raised money for patient assistance grants, transplant research, and registry growth.

Last year, Big Nova donated $3 million to NMDP to expand financial support for patients and donors. The gift helped the nonprofit surpass a $100 million fundraising goal aimed at increasing access to blood stem cell transplants and other cell therapies.