Save a life. Become a bone marrow donor.
OneMatch.ca -Canadian Registry
My life was saved in 2006 by my brother who became my stem cell donor. I had a rare kind of leukemia, AML, which is quick and agressive. I lucked out that my only sibling was a match for me especially since there is only a %25 chance of that happening. Because of him, my sons still have a mother.
When there is no sibling match the doctors look to the bone marrow registries for an unrelated donor. The chance of finding an unrelated donor is much smaller than finding a sibling donor. The more people that are on the registries, the better chance everyone has. As I continued through my treatment several of the wonderful people I met who didn't find donors sat waiting. I will never forget them. There are people right now in hospitals around the world who will die soon if they don't find a donor.
Being a bone marrow donor is infinitely more easy than it used to be. Technology has leaped forward and in 2006, the actual harvesting of your stem cells was like a day in dialysis in a comfy chair watching TV.
Please sign up. Google your country and, bone marrow donor, to find your registry. Here are some links for Canada and a few others.
OneMatch.ca -Canadian Registry
The registries all connect with each other worldwide.
From the OneMatch.ca, donors should be healthy adults between 17 and 50
"A person's best chance of finding a matching donor is within his or her own ethnic group, As such, it is important that the donors on OneMatch reflect Canada's rich ethnic diversity. It is also important for the future of OneMatch to attract young donors."
People with mixed ethnic backgrounds are the most needed on the registry.
PLEASE Tweet, Blog, FB, Post and repeat!
11 comments:
ABSOLUTELY!!! :-) Thank you for posting this - I think it's cool that it is such a worldwide thing, being a bone marrow donor (...or being a potential one - I would love the chance to be some one, somewhere in the worlds 'one in a million').
As you may remember, I am involved in an education project in Britain inspired by Adrian Sudbury. We aim to educate all 16-18 year olds about how straightforward it is to donate. Here in the UK there are two options, obviously both will be searched by the worldwide register, should a patient need a match. If you are a regular blood donor you can join up next time you donate blood:
www.blood.co.uk
...or if you simply want to be tissue-typed as a potential bone marrow / stem cell donor, you can join the Anthony Nolan charity's register by giving a saliva sample:
www.anthonynolan.org
You just never know who you may be helping. A friend of mine actually donated his stem cells, through being hooked up to a machine like you describe, to a stranger. Two years on, after the period of confidentiality lapsed, this guy sent a card and got in touch to say "thank you". They will soon meet!
xxxx
I deleted the first comment because the hyperlinks didn't work... in case you were wondering :-)
You guys are going to make me cry. Thank you, thank you for commenting!
@Charlotte thanks for clarifying :)
I'm happy to pass this post around for ya. Cheers to you and you family! BB
I registered at marrow.org and it was so easy to do so. Even though I have asthma and diabetes I am able to help. It was just a simple questionnaire and the kit was free. They do not push you to donate. I simply can not believe how easy it was to register. Such a simple thing that can save a persons life. Most times to donate is simply an IV. Imagine something as simple as a few IVs to help another. Thank you so much for opening my eyes to this Baldy and I hope others can register as well.
Thank you so much for sharing that, Sew :)
I'm so excited that you registered! I have had a few people letting me know they registered. Wonderful, wonderful!
I have chosen you for The Versatile Blogger Award. Here is a link that explains why I think your story is a special one!
http://gogreygirl.wordpress.com/2011/03/29/the-versatile-blogger-award/
You're an inspiration -- thanks for the links.
Thank you for posting this. I registered with marrow.org when I first found Adrian's blog. It's the easiest thing in the world to do and not painful at all. You just swab some q-tips on the inside of your cheek, stick them in an envelope and mail them back. It does have a small costs but I know at certain times of the year, the kit is free of charge. All the same, the cost is really small when you consider that you could save someone's life.
Like Charlotte, I'm still waiting to be called.
Thank you for this. With so much bad news out there these days, it is good to read something about making positive impact.
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