Bone Marrow Donations

[MrPeepers]

Throughout the month of January, American Express is covering the costs associated with joining the Be The Match Bone Marrow Registry. (The total cost to add a new member to the registry is around $100.)


http://marrow.org/Join/Join_Now/Join_Now.aspx

I have a great client, nicest guy I've ever met fighting leukemia. He is physically a shell of the man he once was, but is internal tough as nails. It's a shame that someday he'll be gone too young. He goes about life without any chip on his shoulder.

Amex will cover the registration costs for anyone signing on. It is one of those health donations that sadly doesn't have enough people on register. You can save real lives by considering this.

Anyone who ever considered this, here's a great chance to do it.

Myths and Facts about Donating Marrow

http://marrow.org/Join/Myths_and_Fac..._Donation.aspx

If a mod can sticky for a few days would be appreciated.

[myMind]

Ive heard it is extremley painful to have bone marrow extracted.
Id do it for family or close friends, but it sure isnt the same as donating blood.

[Swedish Extrovert]

Don't they have to drill through your leg to do that?

[Victor]

Great idea. I registered. Thank you for putting this on the Mane.

[Dukes]

Have your friend watch this video.
http://vimeo.com/24821365

[Blart]

I have much admiration for anyone who registers.

Originally Posted by Dukes

Have your friend watch this video.
http://vimeo.com/24821365

Save that stuff for another thread. Scamming sick people is the lowest of the low.

[MrPeepers]

I added a fact and myth link for anyone who is curious. 1 in 540 people on the registry will ever be contacted for marrow. But it is likely one of the most in demand donations.

[MrPeepers]

Originally Posted by Mightysmurf

Don't they have to drill through your leg to do that?

I don't think the procedure is that intense, see the fact sheet above. Honestly, if I'm saving someone, I don't give a damn about a little discomfort. If a kidney saves someone I care for they can have it. Both my parents died from brain cancer. I'll give what I have extra of. Alot of it is more modern and stem cell related.

All the registry does is puts your info out there as a potential match. I hink marrow donators have alot of misinformation out there.

http://marrow.org/Registry_Members/D..._Donation.aspx

[Dukes]

Originally Posted by Blart

I have much admiration for anyone who registers.



Save that stuff for another thread. Scamming sick people is the lowest of the low.

Want to talk about scams? None bigger than the FDA. Keep drinking that cool-aid

[doonwise]

I signed up about two weeks ago. I've been meaning to do it for a couple years as I lost a great friend to leukemia.

[kappys]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svTQ-zJHY9M

This is an aspirate which is slightly different than collecting bone marrow for transplant - I believe for transplant they do both iliac crests and aspirate as much as possible.

The procedure itself is pretty benign from what I hear since they use local anesthetic. The bruised bone will ache for a couple of weeks. Small price to pay to save a life.

[cutthemdown]

I wanted to chime in on this because I have posted on this subject, here on the MANE. As some people know my brother is a leukemia survivor. His marrow match was found in a girl in FLA and she saved his life.

I was appalled to learn more people vote on American Idol then have registered to be on the bone marrow registry.

It doesn't cause tons of pain like people say it does.

Please African American men go sign up. There is a dearth of African American bone marrow donors. Black men, women, and kids die because white people don't match them and black people are not on the registry.

Think about how lucky you would be to be a match. Can you imagine being the life blood that saved some kids mom from dying? or a dads son? Thats the type of thing you can take to the grave feeling good about.

Also they need platelettes ( spelling?) . They come out of your blood and are used to help peoples blood start doing its thing again after Chemotherapy.

Sucks because if you take anti inflammatory medicine you can't give them, so it sort of rules my fat ass out.

What an awesome thread! Go out and try and save a life!

[cutthemdown]

And to the person talking about Cancer as a biz, I'm sure there is a lot of profiteering. But still people should give up their marrow to save a life. IMO we should all be forced to do it lol, but I know that goes against my govt stay out of life mantra. It's just when it hits home it takes on a different perspective.

I saw a guy who was in the hospital with my brother get his transplant, then die of a lung fungal infection. It's just gnarly what leukemia patients have to go through.

The least we can do is not make them sit in a bed waiting for a transplant match!

[underrated29]

Wow! Cool thread man. My mom has to get a bonemarrow transplant in 13 days. Lucky for her she has two options she can be her own donor or a sibling can be a donor. She has 3 other siblings so she should be just fine, but other people who are an only child and can't use themselves as a donor could really need your help.

From what my moms doc told her, her sisters only need to have blood drawn as its the bloopers stem cells they need. So it might be like donating blood for some.

[Brewer]

There's so much bad information in this thread. Bone marrow donation is done by way of a whole blood donation process that may take a few days, a few hours per day. Welcome to modern medicine. A donor (auto or allo) is dosed with granulocyte colony-stimulating factor which causes stem cells to move from the marrow into the circulating blood, where they are then harvested for processing and transplantation. There's a whole lot more to it than that, but that's more accurate than any of the other posts. Long story short: get registered.

[cutthemdown]

Brewer is right. It's not some draconian procedure you will suffer from anymore.

[Dr. Broncenstein]

Originally Posted by kappys

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svTQ-zJHY9M

This is an aspirate which is slightly different than collecting bone marrow for transplant - I believe for transplant they do both iliac crests and aspirate as much as possible.

The procedure itself is pretty benign from what I hear since they use local anesthetic. The bruised bone will ache for a couple of weeks. Small price to pay to save a life.

I do the occasional bone marrow biopsy... and the aspiration tends to be uncomfortable to the point that I usually combine the procedure with something like a mediport so I can justify sedation. I have no experience with harvesting marrow for transplantion, but I would imagine that requires a general anesthetic.

[Brewer]

Originally Posted by Dr. Broncenstein

I do the occasional bone marrow biopsy... and the aspiration tends to be uncomfortable to the point that I usually combine the procedure with something like a mediport so I can justify sedation. I have no experience with harvesting marrow for transplantion, but I would imagine that requires a general anesthetic.

Time for an in-service, old man! Get with the new millennium. Ha, ha. Re-read my post. I have extensive knowledge (professional experience) of bone marrow donation and transplantation. Think apheresis. CD34+ cells are pheresed from peripheral blood. Be happy to talk to you about it. Cheers.

[Dr. Broncenstein]

Originally Posted by Brewer

Time for an in-service, old man! Get with the new millennium. Ha, ha. Re-read my post. I have extensive knowledge (professional experience) of bone marrow donation and transplantation. Think apheresis. CD34+ cells are pheresed from peripheral blood. Be happy to talk to you about it. Cheers.

Like I said, I'm performing a biopsy when I have anything to do with marrow. It's uncomfortable. If I'm having trouble sleeping sometime, I'll hit you up about a discussion on heme/onc graft techniques.

[MrPeepers]

Thanks for keeping some activity on this, but seriously it's unlikely you get selected anyways, but at least sign up. I have a feeling if they came calling and you were faced with saving a life, you'd opt to save the life.

Lets give this thread some legs.

[Brewer]

Originally Posted by Dr. Broncenstein

Like I said, I'm performing a biopsy when I have anything to do with marrow. It's uncomfortable. If I'm having trouble sleeping sometime, I'll hit you up about a discussion on heme/onc graft techniques.

Allo recipients have better outcomes when they experience an intentional "exposure" to initiate GVH to the new stem cells. Mortality rate is actually much lower in those allos who have GVH compared to those who do not.

[cutthemdown]

Originally Posted by MrPeepers

Thanks for keeping some activity on this, but seriously it's unlikely you get selected anyways, but at least sign up. I have a feeling if they came calling and you were faced with saving a life, you'd opt to save the life.

Lets give this thread some legs.

Think about how incredible that would be though. Not to mention the more people who sign up, will probably tell a friend yeah i signed up on the bone marrow thing because of so and so who is sick, then that person might also. Little things can snowball and really make a difference.

[MrPeepers]

got a 4 q-tips cheek swab kit today, returned. i'm official. Takes 2 months or so to get listed.

[Spider]

will they let me sign up ? i have diabetes ?

[MrPeepers]

Originally Posted by Spider

will they let me sign up ? i have diabetes ?

no, the website says no Spider I don't think diabetes is allowed. Check the website.