I got a piece of mail from the National Marrow Donor Program today. I had almost forgotten that I had registered. It's one of the more worthwhile things that I did when I was in college. During my sophomore year, the greeks put up a huge drive at the International Center on campus. This was slightly different than the usual blood drives that happen all the time. As far as I can remember, it was the only time this drive occurred while I was in East Lansing. I am ineligible to donate blood*, but I am eligible to donate bone marrow.
Donating blood is important, but the bone marrow registry needs all the help it can get. Finding blood for a patient is relatively easy even if inventories are low. Finding bone marrow is like trying to win the lottery in comparison. When a person needs a bone marrow transplant, their best hope of finding a donor is with a sibling. But the odds of a match are still low.
Please consider putting yourself on the registry. You may be that one in a million chance that you are a match to a patient in need.
*Apparently, I'm a potential carrier for vCJD (mad cow disease) since I've lived in Germany for a year.
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2 comments:
Turns out, I wasn't a match for my sister. I watched her scream in agony as marrow was extracted; it seemed like such good fun.
I attempted to get on the registry at said International Center event, but was thwarted owing to my then-recent bodily inkings. Denied by a bloody dolphin on my arse.
I guess we are both too honest for our own good. We could have lied. You never got that tat and I was never in Europe. How would they have known?
That whole bit about the pain does turn me off on the thing a little bit. But I think that it would definately be worth it if I could help someone.
They should do these drives more often. There are plenty of students out there that would be willing to sign up. The best part was that it was free. To get on the registry individually, you have to pay to get your tissue typed. Depending where you are, that fee could vary significantly. So I think that would turn off a lot of people.
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