Bone marrow is a special, spongy, fatty tissue that houses stem cells, located inside a few large bones. These stem cells transform themselves into white and red blood cells and platelets, essential for immunity and circulation. Anemia, leukemia, and other lymphoma cancers can compromise the resilience of bone marrow. Bone marrow transplants are a growing treatment for these conditions of the lymphatic system that can't be otherwise cured.

Our skull, sternum, ribs, pelvis, and femur bones all contain bone marrow, but other smaller bones do not. Inside this special tissue, immature stems cells reside, along with extra iron. While they are undifferentiated, the stem cells wait until unhealthy, weakened, or damaged cells need to be replaced. A stem cell can turn itself into a platelet, a white blood cell like a T-cell, or a red blood cell. This is the only way such cells get replaced to keep our body healthy.

Platelets always circulate in our bloodstream, looking for tiny tears in blood vessels where blood might leak out, like a paper cut. They accumulate in such cuts during clotting. Red blood cells carry fresh oxygen from the lungs to all the cells that need it, and then carry away the unneeded carbon dioxide. White blood cells are immune responders that combat foreign microorganisms. Those invaders might cause infection, so white blood cells help produce antibodies that keep the invaders from causing damage.

These three types of cells, and their associated functions, are obviously incredibly important to our entire body. That's why bone marrow tissue, as part of the lymphatic system, fights pathogens like fungi, bacteria, and viruses. Other diseases, often incurable, pose threats to bone marrow, incapacitating its ability to turn stem cells into essential cells. Leukemia, Hodgkin's Disease, and other lymphoma cancers and tumors damage bone marrow and destroy stem cells.

Bone marrow transplants, the leading treatment for such conditions, begin with chemotherapy that eliminates the compromised bone marrow. If you can locate a matching donor, frequently a family member, their bone marrow is extracted using a needle and injected into your bloodstream. Hopefully, the donation will "take," and make its way into the central shaft of larger bones to restore stem cell function.