"Thank you for registering as a potential bone marrow donor with DKMS. You are now officially a hero in waiting."
"Once your cheek swab sample has been processed you will be listed anonymously on the Be The Match Registry. You can be identified as a donor match for any patient in need of a transplant until your 61st birthday unless you ask to be removed from the DKMS registry."
You read it right....I'm now listed with DKMS as a potential bone marrow donor. I say potential because who knows if I'm a match with any other person than my own family. I bet your interested in knowing how all this came about? And, I'm about to tell you....
After receiving an email approximately 2 months ago stating "you may be a match" my friend Tori began the official bone marrow donation process. Back in 2009 when her husband was deployed overseas, she registered after watching a TV special with Rihanna about how she was heading up a bone marrow donation search for a little girl named Jasmina who was fighting for her life against leukemia. Tori is now blogging about her experience as a bone marrow donor. To follow her story as she completes the process, click the following link....
I May Just Be Someones Super Hero! As Tori began the process of finding out if she's an exact enough match for Mr. Cancer man, I began asking questions and researching it. I've always heard bone marrow donation was a spinal tap in which case it's not. I found that to be a common misconception and one of the reasons there are so FEW willing donors. After finding that there is little to no risk involved, because obviously my kids and family come first, I registered. A week later I received my cheek swab samples in the mail. I swirled, I swabbed and sent them off. Now here we are....
Yes it will be painful but no more so than giving birth and there is a week or two of down time after the donation process but neither are reasons enough to NOT save one's life if I have the opportunity. For me it was an easy decision. It's not hard to imagine "what if it were my kid fighting for their life against leukemia" or how about the fact that if there were SOMETHING, ANYTHING I could have done for my nephew to save his life I would have without a second thought. I think Dominic is still weary about the process. I can't blame him for that, he obviously is concerned about my health and safety and is looking out for the well being of his family. As of now there is no need to worry, I can always elect to remove myself from the registry and who knows if I'm even a match for someone out there. We'll just have to wait and see. Either way, I'm excited for Tori. She's really excited about it and I hope it works out for her. Any day now she should hear an answer as to weather or not she's an exact enough match. It will be neat following her through this journey and who knows...maybe someday you all can follow me through my own!
