Here's an unpopular thought, but one that may not be on the list of "things too taboo to think about" for HN readers.

What if marrow donation was a for-profit industry, or at the very least a nonprofit or government-run industry that allowed people to sell their marrow at market prices? Would Amit and thousands of others in his position be resorting to begging for access to life-saving treatments, or being put on waiting lists that are far too long relative to their prognosis?

My guess is no, with the exception of people too poor to afford access to such materials - which are already so cost prohibitive that this is already a problem. I've never understood why the notion of making a market in organs and other medical materials is such taboo.