Bone Marrow Donation

missy · Post by **missy** » Tue May 08, 2007 3:25 pm

From now until May 21st, you can register online, and for free, for a testing kit to become a bone marrow donor (not sure if this applies to outside the US). The testing costs $52, so you can also donate if so inclined.

http://www.marrow.org/HELP/Join_the_Reg ... n_now.html

Took me about 10 minutes to fill out the questionaire.

Innocent Bystander · Post by **Innocent Bystander** » Tue May 08, 2007 3:36 pm

I've been a member of the Anthony Nolan Bone Marrow Trust for years and years now. But I understand they don't like to take bone marrow from anyone over forty. It's very unlikely they would call upon me now.

I used to know a woman who had leukemia and had to donate her own bone marrow. She was very clear on exactly how it hurt, and where.

missy · Post by **missy** » Tue May 08, 2007 4:37 pm

my ex got to stage 4 on the donation route (he was over 40 at that time, too), but the person he was to be donating to died before they were able to schedule the transfer.

My next door neighbor donated 2 years ago, and another friend actually donated (to the same recipient) twice.

Yes, it's painful. Yes, you'll feel pretty bad for a couple of weeks. But if you are saving a life at the same time? How can you not?

emmline · Post by **emmline** » Tue May 08, 2007 4:59 pm

Jeff and I registered at Johns Hopkins about 10 years ago. It's a rare enough thing that we've never been called...but here we are, just in case.

jkwest · Post by **jkwest** » Tue May 08, 2007 5:57 pm

I'm a donor...

BTW, did anyone see House last week?

made me think twice about being one...

ouch.

mutepointe · Post by **mutepointe** » Tue May 08, 2007 8:47 pm

tomorrow may 9th, is my little brother's birthday. he died of leukemia 21 years ago.

brewerpaul · Post by **brewerpaul** » Wed May 09, 2007 5:15 am

I signed up a number of years ago. I just got off an oncology rotation, and that made me even happier that I registered: those people need all the help they can get. What's some temporary pain on my part, compared with the chance of saving a life?

Jack · Post by **Jack** » Wed May 09, 2007 9:11 am

My autoimmune disease prevents me from giving. It doesn't prevent me from giving blood (something I'd like to do), but being a gay man in the state of Kentucky does prevent you from giving blood. *le sigh*

I have a friend who grew up in a military family and is the epitome of health, but she was told recently she can't give blood or bone marrow because she lived in Germany for 8 years and there's a possibility she was tainted with mad cow disease!