Thousands of people each year are diagnosed with diseases such as leukemia and lymphoma for which a stem cell or marrow transplant could be a cure.

Grand Junction's first ever bone marrow drive will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Nov. 6, at Enstrom Candies, 701 Colorado Ave.

Members of the Grand Junction chapter of the Rocky Mountain Leukemia and Lymphoma Society — a cancer survivor support group — are asking potential donors to join the Be The Match Registry with a simple swipe inside the cheek. If a swipe appears to be a potential match Bonfils' Colorado Marrow Donor Program will contact the person for further testing.

“You still have the choice whether or not to proceed with consenting to a (bone marrow) donation,” said Mary Ellen Ireland, St. Mary's Hospital chaplain.

About 70 percent of people diagnosed with leukemia or lymphoma are unable to find a donor match within their family and must search for an unrelated donor on the Be The Match Registry.

People are more likely to find a match from someone of their own ethnic background, Ireland said.

“We really need Hispanic donors, and I know of a Navajo woman in need of a bone marrow transplant,” Ireland said.

Eligible donors must be between the ages of 18-60, and in good general health. A person remains on the Be The Match Registry until age 61. Stem cells replenish themselves naturally within weeks, according to the Bonfils' Colorado Marrow Donor Program.

Leukemia is a cancer of the blood in which there are too many white blood cells. Bone marrow transplants inject healthy red blood cells into the bloodstream in hopes of creating balance, Ireland said.