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!
No comments:
Post a Comment