Marrowthon

Join the Marrowton!

If you are unable to join yourself, might you pray that I match up soon? (Just to be clear, I am trying to donate bone marrow to anyone who will take it - I am not seeking a match for myself. Other than some sleep issues, I've been blessed with very good health and a helluva immune system that I attribute to growing up in a hospital and being friends with lots of physicians and pharma people.)

Either way, did you know...(all taken directly from National Marrow Donation Program, emphasis mine)

1. The majority of donations do not involve surgery. The patient's doctor most commonly requests a peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) donation, which is non-surgical and outpatient. [Allison - similar to donating plasma.] If the patient's doctor requests marrow, marrow donation is a surgical procedure, usually outpatient.

2. Only five percent or less of a donor's marrow is needed to save a life. After donation, the body replaces the donated marrow within four to six weeks.

3. Donors never pay for donating and are never paid to donate. All medical costs are paid by the patient's medical insurance or by the patient, sometimes with assistance from the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP). The NMDP, which operates the Be The Match Registry, reimburses donors for travel costs, and may reimburse other costs on a case-by-case basis.
[Allison - The tissue-typing kit is a $52 tax-deductible donation.]

4. You have the right to change your mind about being a donor at any time. Donating is always voluntary. [Allison - being on the Registry does not obligate you to donate.]

5. Fewer than 1% of PBSC donors experience a serious side effect from the donation process.
PBSC donation may require placement of a central line if you do not have suitable arm veins. A central venous line is a sterile tube that is inserted into one of the larger veins — the femoral vein, internal jugular vein or subclavian vein. Based on the NMDP's experience, 18% of women and 3% of men require central line placement. The risk of serious complications from use of a central line is small. A central line will be placed only with your consent after you have received information about the possible risks. Another potential risk is associated with filgrastim injections. Though filgrastim is commonly used to treat cancer patients, the use of filgrastim in healthy donors is fairly new. Therefore, no data are yet available about the long-term safety. The NMDP began using filgrastim to aid in transplants in the 1990s. Since then, no NMDP donors have reported any long-term complications from filgrastim injections.

6. [Allison - While most bone marrow donors donate through PBSC, sometimes marrow can only be extracted through a surgical procedure.] General or regional anesthesia is always used for this procedure. Donors feel no needle injections and no pain during the marrow donation process. Afterwards, most donors feel some pain in the lower back for a few days or longer. [Allison - my father donated bone marrow in a surgerical procedure in the 1980s without anesthesia. He said the actual collection process was not unbearably painful, and that after collection he had moderate low back pain for a few days.]

Why am I such a cheerleader for bone marrow donation? Because it is easy, simple, free, and can save a life. I do not know anyone personally who needed a bone marrow transplant. I put myself on the registry because - with minimal time and effort from me - I can save a life. Please don't wait to be "inspired" until a loved one needs a transplant. There are so many of others' loved ones waiting for a match today!