I pray, an individual would NOT choose to NOT donate when identified, as a MATCH because he/she is afraid of some pain...but I am told that this really happens. :o( 

I've been told stories of folks who are registering but NOT actually donating. I'm told it's because they are afraid of the "bone marrow" aspiration. Please know that a bone marrow transplant (aspiration) may not be required in my type of cancer.

Regardless, please do not be afraid of a little pain via donating peripheral stem cells, or bone marrow. You may well be saving a life, if not my life, someone's. 

Nonetheless, I'll attempt to reduce the fear factor here as much as I can, okay. 

I've only recently learned that what I really need to possibly cure my type of cancer and live is some of your blood's peripheral stem-cells, if we're a match. 

When you register with the bone marrow registry be sure to let them know that you're also willing to donate peripheral blood stem cells.

So, there are alternatives to "bone marrow" donations: another blood sample when you register with the bone marrow registry.

I'm told the process of donating peripheral stem cells is very simple. 

[Please read the following.]

There are many different types of blood cell, but they all develop from stem cells. Most of these stem cells are found in the bone marrow (the soft inside part of the bone), although some are found simply in the blood called: (peripheral blood stem cells). So to donate its kind of like when one donates blood, but just a bit more involved. 

I'm told that this is what I really need to save my life regarding my type of cancer.

Just like the simple blood test done to determine if we're a bone marrow match the same type of simple blood test will show, a stem cell match. The same blood test may determine both. I'm not real sure, but I think so. Now, here is how the procedure works to donate, if we're a match, as I understand it.

	The donor (you) receives a shot of GCSF (granulocyte core stimulating factor) and it boosts your white blood cells ( WBCs) to ten times normal and increases the peripheral circulating stem cells. White Blood Cells are the blood cells that fight infection. In other words, this drug increases the number of stem cells released from your bone marrow into your blood stream so they can be collected through an apheresis procedure.
	During apheresis, which is done at a blood center or hospital, your blood is removed through a sterile needle placed in a vein in one arm and passed through an apheresis machine that separates out the stem cells. The remaining blood, minus the stem cells, is returned to you through a sterile needle in your other arm. The number of stem cells required by the recipient will determine if the procedure needs to be repeated the following day.
	Apheresis donors commonly experience bone and muscle pain, headache and fatigue prior to the donation procedure, as a result of receiving the GCSF (granulocyte core stimulating factor). These effects I am told diminish over one to two days.

Yup, that's what your bone marrow looks like!

 Donating Bone Marrow

	Register! At a donor center or a registration drive, you learn about what it means to be a marrow donor. You give 2-3 tablespoons of blood and consent to be listed in the main donor registry. (No marrow is actually given at the time of registration.)
	Your tissue type is determined and entered onto the donor registry. A lab analyzes your blood to determine its tissue type (which, by the way, is a different thing altogether than blood type). The results are added to the registry's main computer, which is searched regularly by my doctors and doctors of other patients who need a marrow transplant.
	You are contacted if a preliminary match is found. If the computerized registry shows that your tissue type is close to mine or any of the patients in need, your donor center contacts you and arranges additional testing.
	A "perfect match" is identified. To find out whether you are a "perfect match," additional tests are done. If you do match, you will be given counseling and a physical exam.
	You decide whether to donate. After being fully informed about what it means to donate bone marrow, you make the decision to donate.
	A small amount of your marrow is collected. You'll go to a hospital near you. A small amount of your marrow is collected from the back of your pelvic bone with a special needle and syringe. Anesthesia is used during this simple surgical procedure.
	You recover quickly from the procedure. Typically, the donor stays overnight in the hospital. Afterwards, you can resume normal activity, although you may feel some soreness in your hip for several days. Your marrow naturally replenishes itself within a few weeks.

[ Main |  Frequently Asked Questions | Steps in Donating | How to Register | ]
[ How You Can Help | Donors ]