I want to draw your attention to Linda’s post about bone marrow donation. I’m already on the registry, but realized after reading her post that I hadn’t updated my address information with them for years.
I’m planning to be an organ donor later on, but what I like about bone marrow donation is that you don’t have to be dead to do it. It’s not even like donating a kidney, where you have a spare but might feel nervous about losing it, in case you need it later. Your body will make more bone marrow, and meanwhile you can save somebody’s life with something you can easily manufacture more of.
It’s a great idea, and a great way to do a lot of helping without having to donate, say, tons of time or bushels of money. And it isn’t as if they’ll be calling you ever other week for more marrow: as I understand it, matches with non-family-members are rare. You register just in case you could be a one in a million for somebody else. Follow the links in Linda’s post for more information, or go directly to The National Marrow Donor Program.
One thing I’m afraid may talk some of you out of it is that there’s a fairly substantial fee to get on the registry: the site says it varies from $52 to $96, and that’s a nice chunk of change for a lot of us. [Edited 2014: it now says $100.] They mean it, though, when they say that depending on where and when you join, some or all of your costs may be covered. When I joined, there was a local boy who needed a transplant, and his church and community raised multiple tens of thousands of dollars to cover the cost of anyone who wanted to join the registry, so my joining was totally free. I believe they also have certain limited funds to cover the costs of people who want to join but can’t afford it, or can only afford part of it. [Edited 2014: I don’t see anything about that on the site anymore.] I hope you won’t let it be a hurdle, because my guess is that there are ways around it and that it would be worth contacting them to ask them to direct you to those ways.
Hi Swistle. Have been reading your blog for several months and really enjoy your writing. Just wanted to say thanks for mentioning that you are an organ donor. I am a kidney recipient six years out and cannot say what a priceless gift this is. I am blessed beyond measure. Wishing you all the best.
mdverona@yahoo.com
My sister is alive due to the Bone Marrow Donor Registry. She had Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma stage IV and a rare form when she was diagnosed. She went through 6 months of chemo and well a few weeks after the doctors claimed she was cancer free it came back. The doctors stated that the best thing would be a bone marrow donor and from a sibling. I am the oldest of 7 siblings. The six of us were tested and not one of us matched well enough. The doctors went to the donor registry and found a young lady who matched. This young lady had actually donated 5 yrs previous for her mother. Two years after the donation my sister and her donor ran in the Chicago Marathon with my brother-in-law. My sister now has a 4 yr old adopted daughter and is in the process of adopting another child. (Due to the radiation and the chemo my sister is unable to carry a child). So I thank those who are on the Marrow Registry because it saved my sister.
I’m in Canada, and after reading that post on sundry I hit the website of Canadian Blood Services only to find out that I cannot be a bone marrow donor due to my current weight. When I hit goal though…
Everyone should try to at least investigate how to join the bone marrow donor registry. If you need more information check out this website
http://www.givemarrow.net
Someone’s looking for a needle in a haystack … you might be the needle!!!
Frances, on the Board of Directors for the Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association