Hey - I just got called as a possible match for a bone marrow donation! I've been part of the bone marrow donation registry since 1994. I was called once as a possible donor but the patient decided not to go through with it and nothing further ever happened.
Got a call today.
Filled out an online health questionnaire - questions similar to when you donate blood. Things like: do you share needles, have you been vaccinated for small pox recently, have you had sex with someone at risk for AIDS, have you had a tattoo or piercings in the last 12 mos., do you take any medications and if so, please explain what they are and why you take them...
I go to a lab on Monday to give blood where they narrow down the match even more. Can take 4-8 weeks from this point to know if I'll move on to the next step toward donation. Could be it ends there.
If I go on to donate, I'll keep you posted about the process.
I think it's very interesting and I hope it happens!
I'm a big believer in giving what you can to help - blood, organs, tissues, marrow... told Furry Husband that he could really and honestly donate my body to science when I die so others could learn or be educated -- think medical or research students.
I know - that may be sort of weird - but how cool that through our deaths, others might have a chance to live? Even in a round about way from research....
Anyhoo - enough of my ramblings...
If you are so inclined, join the bone marrow registry program and maybe help save a life! Thousands of people with leukemia or other life threatening diseases rely on marrow donations to live - many never find a match. The more of us who join, the more matches may be possible. Join here: http://www.marrow.org/
* Sort of off topic but not really.... if you ever get a chance - read the New York Times Bestselling book "Stiff: The Curious Lives of Cadavers" by Mary Roach. Awesome book about what happens to our physical bodies when we die.
It's researched, accurate and told with very tongue in cheek humor which I love. Made me want to donate my body when I die all that much more once I finished reading it! grin.
Tho' if you are squeamish or don't like honest and sometimes graphic medical descriptors this may not be the book for you. If you are a biologist, medical buff or otherwise geeked about science - I really really recommend this book!
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4 comments:
When my Uncle Frank died, his body was left to science. Another lady in Austrialia? I think has his eyes..They will be keeping my Aunt Gayle updated with what happened to the rest of Uncle Frank..
Interesting..altho shocking at first. Now I think its the coolest thing and why not??
What an awesome person YOU are!
Not sure how awesome I am... but know once I'm gone I sure won't need my parts! grin.
I want to be a skeleton. I read about it when I lived in Memphis - this place called MERI does standard medical donations and makes skeletons. How cool would that be? Med students will be pulling pranks with my bones for hundreds of years to come! Plus they can learn what the radius connects to and stuff. :)
You are awesome.... and I think I'll look into the marrow thing too. It can make SUCH a difference.
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