In June of 2009, I started working in a bone marrow transplant unit. Before I took that job, I never really thought much about how catastrophic a leukemia or lymphoma diagnosis could be or how complicated the process to get people the medications needed to keep them from dying. Life literally has to stop in order to pursue the treatment necessary to save the patient's life. People of ALL ages can have their lives turned upside down by these diseases. Many of the people I take care of are close to my age (teens, 20s, 30s, etc). For many of these people, a bone marrow or stem cell transplant is the only way for patients to even have a chance of surviving their disease.
It's a somewhat complicated situation and these doctors actually explain it very well if anyone wants to know more. They specialize in treating hematological cancers (blood cancers).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pD-J1A4rL0&feature=channel
I joined the National Marrow Donor Program "Be the Match" registry not long after I started working this job. When I realized that people really do die because a transplant donor can not be found, I signed up. I did not want anyone to have to lose a parent, a child, a spouse, or a friend because they could not find a donor. What if I was that match that could not be found?
The process of joining the registry is actually quite simple. You can go to the National Marrow Donor Program website and sign up to receive a FREE kit in the mail. The kit comes with 4 Q-tips and a set of instructions. You swab the inside of your cheeks with the Q-tips and put them in the envelopes according to the directions. You then send the kit back, and you are finished. It takes less than ten minutes to complete the kit.
Many people have concerns about the donating process if they would match someone. That procedure is described on the National Marrow Donor Program website. It is not horrific as many think, but it is still a procedure. Trust me when I tell you though that people with leukemia suffer way more than a stem cell donor. And if I were the person needing that transplant, I would hope that someone would be willing to donate so that I could have a chance at life.
So, here's the website http://www.marrow.org
I would love to discuss this further with anyone who is interested. Please consider joining if you have not already. You may get the unique opportunity to give someone a chance at life.
