Please continue to check the website for further details on any future tissue collection events.

Please see below for a bullet point list of women who are especially encouraged to participate.

SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENTJOIN INTERESTED DONOR LIST

Why should YOU donate? This video may have some answers for you.

Prospective donors will be asked to view the Standardized Informed Consent presentation before arriving for your scheduled appointment. The video is eight minutes long, and guides a participant through a detailed preview of the donation process.

The KTB is always seeking to collect tissue from a particular set of donors. If you are any of the following, and are considering donating, we are especially appreciative:

• members of minority cultural, ethnic, or racial groups (African American, Hispanic, Asian, Pacific Islander, Native American, etc.)
• pregnant at time of donation
• nursing at time of donation
• within 3-6 months post partum at time of donation (if you did not breastfeed)
• within 3-6 months post full weaning at time of donation
• BRCA+
• women with dense breast tissue
• repeat donations from women who previously donated between 2006 and 2009.

If any of these criteria apply to you and you would like to donate, please contact Julia von Arx.

Qualifications

To donate tissue, an individual:

• Must be a woman at least 18 years of age.
• Must have the ability to understand and the willingness to sign an informed consent. (No signs of dementia or any psychiatric conditions that would not allow the understanding or rendering of informed consent.)
• Must be willing to give about an hour and a half of her time to complete a questionnaire and a breast tissue sample collection.
• Must inform us as to whether you routinely get antibiotics prior to a dental procedure.
• Must not be allergic to local anesthetics (numbing medicines such as lidocaine.)
• Must not be receiving a therapeutic blood thinner. (This does not include aspirin.)
• Must not have breast implants.
• If pregnant or breastfeeding, must call for consultation prior to registering for an appointment.

How Do I Sign Up to Donate?

Donor registration is done online, through our website. If appointments are being accepted for a particular tissue collection event, you may schedule an appointment to donate tissue. Follow the prompts, which will guide you through the online process. You may register for an actual event only if that event is upcoming and active.

If an event date is still more than 3-4 weeks away, rather than being able to actually register, you may join our interested donor list. This adds you to an email alert list, and you will be notified when the appointments for the next event have been released. This sign up is always available online; there is no need to wait for an event to be announced in order to place your name on this list.

Step-by-Step Walkthrough of the Donor’s Day

1. • The donor arrives, is greeted by volunteers, checks in. (5 minutes)
   • She is escorted to consenting area to complete informed consent paperwork. (15 minutes)
   • She is measured for height and weight. (5 minutes)
   • Next, she is escorted to computer area to complete online questionnaire. (10-15 minutes)
   • The donor then goes to waiting area to be assigned to a phlebotomist, where three small vials of blood drawn. (5-10 minutes)
   • She is escorted to examination room, tissue is collected. (20-25 minutes)
     • The skin is cleaned, then numbed with lidocaine.
     • The physician nicks the skin with a scalpel, and the needle is inserted into this incision.
     • Five sample cores are removed from the breast (this amount is approximately the size of three peas).
     • A nurse/surgeon’s assistant holds pressure on the incision for 10 full minutes, then applies a pressure bandage.
     • An ice pack is immediately placed on the breast, inside the bra.
   • Afterwards, the donor is escorted through checkout. (5 minutes)

   Total donation time is 70 – 90 minutes. Times are approximate.