PART TWO: Joining the Registry and Additional Testing

Joining the Be The Match registry is incredibly simple and easy. All you need to do is visit their website bethematch.org or attend a donor drive. You will be provided a kit to swab your mouth and in under a minute your part is over and you have officially joined the bone marrow registry. The joining process is SO easy that you may find yourself wondering why I chose to dedicate an entire post to it.

I simply cannot continue any longer with this blog until I share the reason behind my entire journey. This cause is one that is hugely overlooked, and the few people that are informed about it are greatly misinformed. I do not say this from a soapbox, but from a place of humility. Selfishness is a human condition, and like most people, I was quite comfortable living my life and felt good enough about myself for being an occasional blood donor.  All of that changed when I met a very special young lady. I hope each and every one of you reading this knows what it feels like to be inspired by someone, because it is truly life changing.

My inspiration goes by the name of Natalia. We met when we were in junior high, which as most of you know is generally summarized by terms such as “self entitlement” and “hormones.” Natalia instantly stood out to me because she was quite the contrary. Everything about Natalia was genuine, done with humility, and purity of heart. Though we lost touch over the years, I never let go of the person she was and how badly I wanted to be that kind of person. Flash-forward to high school, a group of students and I were hanging out at some outside tables of Sonic or Chik-fil-A. I remember hearing beforehand that we were going to make cards for someone but I never thought to inquire further until I was glancing over the card materials.  “Who are we making these for?” I flippantly asked, and the answer was not one I wanted to hear.  No surely, not the same Natalia! Why her?

I instantly reconnected with Natalia, and was not surprised in the least at her responses to my questions and messages. Only sweet Natalia could fight for her life with such valiance, grace, humility, and faith. Although cancer (AML) was the means in which God called Natalia home, Natalia did more with her unfairly short life than most do with 100 years. Natalia was an angel that lived on earth, so I am sure her transition to heaven was a rather easy one.

Before joining the registry, take a moment to think about WHY. One visit to a children’s hospital will cross your path with countless heroes and angels fighting battles you and I can’t even fathom. Do not join because you feel socially pressured. Do not join for karma points. Join because you’re inspired, because that inspiration will carry you further than you could ever go on your own.

During this phase of the journey, you will likely experience:

•    Feelings of insignificance when you talk to your friends and family about joining the registry. Most of you don’t have personal experience with this cause. Some people may question why you are so passionate about it or wanting to do it in the first place. You must talk though, because when you find people that do support you it is invaluable. 
• Other strong yet seemingly controversial emotions. You may be joyful, fearful, or saddened all at once when you get the call saying you are or are not someone’s match.
• You may feel like a pincushion. Before you are considered to be someone’s match, you will be asked to do blood tests. In my case, but not all, I had to do multiple blood tests during this process (confirmatory testing, physical protocol, pregnancy test, etc.)
• Impatience. You will be asked to embrace the military motto “hurry up and wait.” The more you invest in this, the stronger feelings you may have about not knowing. Expect this, and know that it is absolutely okay to have these feelings!

This is not simply signing up to donate blood, though that is a wonderful thing to do. If asked to donate, you are giving a part of yourself to someone. YOU are becoming someone’s only option for life. WHY do you want to join? 

In loving memory of Natalia who joined heaven's ranks on October 28th, 2009. 

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!