MrCalifornia

I’m in a no way a saintly person but yesterday I was able to donate stem cells for a leukemia patient who was randomly linked to me through the National Bone Marrow Program ( http://www.marrow.org ). It was an incredibly easy process and felt very rewarding. I can’t wait to hear back about the status of the person who is getting my stem cells.

I know a lot of people don’t like needles and there are a few (17 pricks from beginning to end, including the one it takes to get yourself enrolled) but come on you can save someone’s freaking life.

I had to take one and a half days off of work. A half day after they matched my blood in the registry and took a second sample and further matched me (The initial donation only confirms a 1 in 10 chance) to get a routine physical to ensure you are healthy enough to donate. And one day for the final donation and most companies will probably give you the day off.

Most bone marrow donations these days just require a procedure similar to dialysis where you have on IV going in and one going out and they strip your blood of lots of excess white blood cells that are rich in stem cells. I got to lay in a bed and watch TV for 6 hours and as soon as it was over I hopped up walked out and went and ate a pizza. (When I got home I slept for a solid 12 hours as I was pretty tired, but when I awoke this morning I felt great. Zero side effects.)

Anyway, I couldn’t encourage you to sign up more, it was an incredible experience and the time commitments and pain were nothing.

I’m in a no way a saintly person but yesterday I was able to donate stem cells for a leukemia patient who was randomly linked to me through the National Bone Marrow Program ( http://www.marrow.org ). It was an incredibly easy process and felt very rewarding. I can’t wait to hear back about the status of the person who is getting my stem cells.

I know a lot of people don’t like needles and there are a few (17 pricks from beginning to end, including the one it takes to get yourself enrolled) but come on you can save someone’s freaking life.

I had to take one and a half days off of work. A half day after they matched my blood in the registry and took a second sample and further matched me (The initial donation only confirms a 1 in 10 chance) to get a routine physical to ensure you are healthy enough to donate. And one day for the final donation and most companies will probably give you the day off.

Most bone marrow donations these days just require a procedure similar to dialysis where you have on IV going in and one going out and they strip your blood of lots of excess white blood cells that are rich in stem cells. I got to lay in a bed and watch TV for 6 hours and as soon as it was over I hopped up walked out and went and ate a pizza. (When I got home I slept for a solid 12 hours as I was pretty tired, but when I awoke this morning I felt great. Zero side effects.)

Anyway, I couldn’t encourage you to sign up more, it was an incredible experience and the time commitments and pain were nothing.

Because it’s about fucking time.