PART ONE: Debunking Hollywood’s Stories

I am an absolute fan of “House” and other medical dramas. However, I never thought I would be yelling at the TV screen in my living room one Friday evening. One moment I am relaxing in the arms of my wonderful husband, when in the next, I am having a revelation of WHY people always ask me the same questions.

TV dramas almost always portray bone marrow transplants occurring only within families. Why? Because it adds drama and flare, of course! The TRUTH: 70% of successful bone marrow transplants occur with complete strangers. There is only a 30% chance that someone in need will find a match within his or her family.

TV, the Internet, and rumors all say that the transplant procedure is extremely painful. I admit that I was very anxious in the days leading up to the procedure for this very reason. After personally experiencing the most painful way to donate bone marrow (surgically), I can happily tell you the TRUTH: if you have ever fallen down on your bottom, you have experienced enough sensitivity and stiffness to fully be prepared as a donor. Did it hurt? Sure. Was it bad enough to evoke blood curdling screams that Hollywood makes you think it does? Absolutely NOT!

Furthermore, the most common way to donate bone marrow now is a process called peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) which is non-surgical and very similar to donating blood. It is estimated that only 1 out of every 540 people on the Be The Match Registry will go on to donate, and only 10-20% of those donors are asked to donate surgically. If you are thinking about joining the registry but are hesitant to do so because of the pain, please consider what I am saying. Most people who join the registry do not go on to donate. Joining the registry gives people HOPE, hope of finding a match and a cure. If you are the very lucky person who gets chosen to be that cure, I can promise you from experience that the possibility of a little pain or discomfort will no longer matter. By that point, you will know the gender and an age of the recipient in need, and you can’t help but be invested in a stranger who will change your life forever.

Now I have spent a great deal of time “hating” on Hollywood, so I would like to close with a compliment. The one thing Hollywood has gotten right in this story is the WHY behind donating. The TRUTH: Bone marrow is someone’s cure. Bone marrow transplants are used with cancer patients and patients with blood diseases. Cancer patients often undergo chemotherapy, a process that kills off bone marrow, while blood diseases attack bone marrow directly. Bone marrow in the most basic sense is what provides someone with a strong immune system. When you donate bone marrow, your healthy immune system replaces your recipient’s defeated one. Your recipient will inherit your blood type, your allergies, and most importantly your immune system with its ability to fight back. Why do you donate bone marrow? Because for so many, it is the only chance at remission…it is the only chance for life!