Bone Marrow Registry Update Thread

i know nobody uses this forum BUT i wanted to at least throw an update out there...this is a followup on this thread http://www.fatwallet.com/forums/hot-deals/1163025/

after being told by everyone in the thread i would never be called my phone rang within a couple months. it was some initial questions and then a few weeks later came blood work, more blood work, a physical, injections and then yesterday I DONATED MARROW =)

the donation was made for a 58 year old male leukemia patient. there is a 1 year confidentiality agreement so i do not have any other info. they do allow anonymous contact between the parties but i'm not going to say anything unless he does. i was only the 4th person in the the area (pittsburgh allegheny county) to donate this year. the woman who worked with me through be the match has only done about 100 since 1998..so i guess it's pretty rare. more then half of the patients that receive the marrow will extend there life by 5 years or more. marrow donation is kinda like the last resort after chemo and blood transfusions are not useful.

so the actual procedure was done locally and i didn't incur any travel expenses...they paid for my parking and miles. there are two methods that they use nowadays..the invasive in the hospital under the knife extraction from your hip...and a method where they spin it out of your blood. the second method is what is commonly used now and what i did. starting on saturday i received daily injections of some drug which caused flu like symptoms (headache, tired, sore)..these injections were to raise the level of some disease fighting stuff in my blood which they were then going to strip out..the injections were two a day in each arm up saturday-wednesday. so yesterday i received my injections and then was hooked up...blood is drawn from one arm, spun and then deposited back (minus the good stuff) in the other arm. the process took like 4.5 hours and i'm not going to lie....it sucked. after maybe 30 mins or so my arm where they were taking from became very sore around the injection site and stayed that way for the next 4 hours or so...still have good bit of pain today..the flu like symptoms are gone though and i'm on the mend...only missed work yesterday for the donation and worked through the other stuff....be the match gave me a fruit basket, a pin and a card...

whole process was a little tedious but it is a good feeling to know you helped....everyone involved really makes a big deal out of it, makes ya feel real special...

ok just wanted to add to the thread (thread now archived)

lemme know if you have any questions or if anyone else has been called

You can always ask the mods to reopen the archived thread.

Obviously NOT uber-powerful!

Congratulations, on saving a life. Their is nothing to compare the experience to, but maybe a birth of a child. And what a morale booster.
I was the first successful BMT out of NIH, NHLI in 1997. I wanted to get the presidents medal awarded for my donor, In 1997, they were awarding the presidents medal of honor to bone marrow donors.I wish he had taken it or wanted it.15 years ago, He also, injected himself at home with stem cell stimulating factor. You can even have a nurse come to your house to inject you. Always keep the vial in the refridgerator,or it dies.He then donated through atherisis, watched 2 or 3 movies and was done. I don't want to think or act like other people today. The cynics,sarcastic and sick. You saved a life, and nothing will ever feel that wonderful,joyful,to people that never try to donate or care. Well done. You kept the faith, that you could help and you did. Caretakers are the real miracle workers.Their are 2 types of people in the world dream makers and dream takers. I hang with 3 or 4 dream makers.

My donor was my brother. He suffered needlessly, due to my families pocession on stem cell research. No embryo is used.

After they completely destroy your patients bone marrow they rescue them with your stem cells. It is imparitive that the patient develop graft verses host disease, or they die. But it is the

fight of their life, and some loose. I think I would follow the recommendations set forth, you do not need the rollercoaaster ride, of nuetropenia, low white cells and repeated info on

infections. The caretakers suffer the most and you just need to know you gave them a real chance at life check up in a year.sp