Author Topic: Bone Marrow Donation  (Read 636 times)

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Offline SAWgunner

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Bone Marrow Donation
« on: May 13, 2006, 09:18:08 AM »
I just recently got back from Baltimore after donating Bone Marrow there at the University of Maryland Health Sciences Center.  The reason I am writing this is to tell everyone how easy it is to donate Bone Marrow now-a-days, so if you are ever contacted to do so, you can lay that fear to rest.

I was contacted in February by the CW Bill Young Marrow Donation Center (Part of Department of Defense) because I was a possible match for a female with Leukemia.  I had signed up in Basic Training about 8 years ago, and was in their database.

After a good deal of bloodwork (They mix part of your blood sample with the patients sample to ensure that their body will accept it), I was a match and they coordinated with me to fly to the DC area (There are three collection centers, all in the DC area).

They flew my wife and I to Baltimore, and put us up in the Camden Yards Marriot (3 blocks from the inner harbor, and right across the street from where the Orioles play) and paid $50 a day, apiece, per diem.  We werew there for 5 nights and flew out on the 6th day.  They also would have flown our child out and provided child care for him if we had wished.

The first four days, every morning we walked a block to the Hospital and I received 2 injections, one in each arm, of filgrastim.  This medication super-saturates your marrow with stem-cells to make colleciton easier.  Although I did experience some pain because of this (it makes your bones swell), it wasn't too bad, and they gave me percocet which totally alleviated the pain.

The fifth day, I went in for the procedure and they put and IV in one of your wrists and another in your arm.  A machine circulates your blood, and takes out the stem cells and some platlets and pumps your blood cells back in.  It took 4 and a half hours (which was the worst part of the whole process), and I walked out with no pain what-so-ever.

Apparently, according to the personnel there, they only drill into your bone if it is an emergency or absolutely neccessary, and then it is only about 4% of the donors.  Most do the procdure that I had, the PBSC donation.

Just thought I would post this in case anyone has thought of donating or going on a donation list.  Here is a link if you would like more info., or to volunteer.

http://www.marrow.org/NMDP/about_nmdp_idx.html


SAWgunner
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Offline qajaq59

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Please become a donor......
« Reply #1 on: May 13, 2006, 10:28:46 AM »
Thank you Sawgunner from me and other cancer survivors.
I managed to survive leukemia and then kidney cancer at age 63. And believe me, whoever your donation goes to will live a wonderful and happy life. And they and their family will always remember that someone like you did that.
Since I walked away from that hospital 4 years ago I have never woken up in a bad mood, and I serious doubt many other survivors do either. We are just happy to be alive and able to enjoy our friends and family. If more people would just help out with donating bone marrow, thousands of lives could be saved.
Just think about it, you can actually save the life of a young child, a mother of small children, or perhaps someone's favorite old grandpa with just the tiniest bit of bone marrow that you will never miss. How else could you possibly do something that spectacular.

Thanks again Sawgunner, Qajaq

Offline SAWgunner

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Bone Marrow Donation
« Reply #2 on: May 13, 2006, 01:47:38 PM »
'Twas no big deal...we even thoroughly enjoyed ourselves in Baltimore.  I just wanted to spread the word about how easy it was to donate.


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Offline unspellable

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Marrow donating
« Reply #3 on: May 16, 2006, 08:31:48 AM »
My dad gave blood all his life, he passed the 100 pint mark a long time ago.  he's a type O so they welcomed him with open arms.

I had infectious hepetitis as a child which makes me inelegible as a blood donor.  Even though I don't have the disease my blood would test positive for the antibodies and be rejected.

So, I signed up as a marrow donor.  Such cases are usually desperate enough that they will do the extra testing to prove I don't have hepetitis.

It's news to me that they can do it without making a hole in a bone though.

Offline SAWgunner

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Re: Bone Marrow Donation
« Reply #4 on: November 04, 2006, 10:31:05 PM »
Just an update...I guess it didn't take, and the lady is not doing so well according to my case worker.  :(
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Offline Questor

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Re: Bone Marrow Donation
« Reply #5 on: November 06, 2006, 03:55:50 AM »
I did it years ago and it did hurt for a while, but it really does help somebody and it was a satisfying experience.
Safety first

Offline gimphunter

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Re: Bone Marrow Donation
« Reply #6 on: November 08, 2006, 05:07:12 PM »
I was all set to sign up until they wanted to charge ME $52 to donate MY bone marrow. I've given 65 pints of O-neg whole blood (8+ GALLONS), but I will NOT pay to give MY bone marrow. The transplant costs tens, if not hundreds of thousands of dolllars, and they expect ME to pay CASH MONEY on top of the inconvenience and physical pain? They can fork themselves.