‘Tis the season for giving…
Hi everyone.
I’ve finally revived my blog because something important is coming up that I wanted to keep everyone informed about.
For those of you who don’t know – in less than a month I will be donating bone marrow.
I want you to know everything you want to know, so I will be posting and twittering regularly and have attempted to answer many frequently asked questions below. I hope this will not only keep you satisfactorily up-to-date on what’s going on, but also help you make the decision to register to be a donor and potentially donate if the opportunity arises. If you don’t feel like checking back regularly, you can subscribe to this blog via email on the post page at the bottom of the bar on the right of this post.
Here we go…
The rundown:
Sometime last academic year I joined the donor registry via a cheek swab and was contacted in September about being a possible match for a 9 year-old patient. I had my blood tested and have since been confirmed as the best match. This coming Tuesday, December 2nd, I will be meeting the doctor performing the surgery and getting a physical examination. If all goes well, I will be donating bone marrow on Tuesday, December 23rd at the Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey (according to the ever-omniscient Wikipedia, the hospital’s “Cancer Center’s Adult Blood and Marrow Stem Cell Transplantation Program is one of the top eight in the United States.”)
How do I join the donor registry?
You can check the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) website to search for donor registration drives near you (many, like the one I registered at, can be found on college campuses) or, if you’re feeling generous, to purchase a registration kit. A Facebook event search for “marrow” often turns up many results too. If you do join, you have absolutely no obligation to do anything if you are found to be a possible match.
What’s the actual surgical procedure?
There are two possible procedures for extracting stem cells. The majority of donations nowadays are via Peripheral Blood Stem Cells (PBSC), which involves a medication that draws stem cells into the bloodstream to be filtered out. The second is a surgical procedure (which comes to mind when most people think of a bone marrow donation) that involves a hollow needle being inserted in the back of the pelvic bone via small (approx. 1/4 in.) incisions in the lower back to collect marrow directly from the bone.
The second one is the one I will be undergoing – a decision the doctors have made in the interest of the patient. My surgery is scheduled to take place in the morning, and I expect to be out of the hospital in the afternoon.
Won’t it hurt like crazy?
Well… most people tell me it will. In fact, the first thing I hear after mentioning I’m donating bone marrow is more often than not about how painful the experience will be. No one I’ve actually spoken with, though, has actually experienced it. I will be anaesthetized during the actual procedure, of course. After that – I’ll try to keep you updated on how I’m feeling and maybe one day you’ll actually have an evidence (albeit anecdotal) based comment about pain for someone who is doing the same thing!
Who is the patient and what disease does s/he have?
I have no idea who the patient is and may never know. The patient and his/her family may choose to contact me a year after the procedure – until then, all contact has to be anonymous and no identifying information can be shared. I do know that the patient is 9 and has Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). My basic understanding is that it means the bone marrow is making abnormal cells that rapidly grow and crowd out normal blood cells and platelets. I also believe that a bone marrow transplant can be risky for the patient and is often a last resort.
How are you feeling?
I’m feeling fine, thank you. Actually, at this moment I’m really calm and rational about this. I think I may start freaking out just a bit a day or two before the procedure (or “harvest” as they sometimes so tenderly call it). I’ll keep you updated on that! I’ve never been in a hospital as a patient before, and the only surgery I have ever had is a root canal, if you even count that.
My question wasn’t answered
Feel free to ask me more by commenting below, emailing me, facebook messaging me, calling me, etc. Otherwise, you could check it out yourself online with these helpful resources:
- National Marrow Donor Program (they manage the registry)
- DKMS (I registered through them)
- This informational packet I got called “Now That You Are A Match” [PDF]
- And, of course, the Mayo Clinic’s page on donation
Thanks for taking the time to read this post! I look forward to keeping you updated on this. All relevant posts will be tagged “marrow donation,” so you can filter for those specifically using that link or by clicking on it in the tag clouds to the bottom or right of these pages.
Happy holidays everyone!
