Donating Bone Marrow

When I signed up to give blood years ago I agreed to be put on the bone marrow register. Then I got the call that I thought I would never get. I was a match which was great but scary at the same time. Lots of medical tests later and I had the operation under a general anaestetic. I was only in hospital for a couple of days and it is painful but I would do it again in a heartbeat if I were a match. My employer at the time made me take 2 or 3 weeks annual leave to recover. The marrow was for a baby with leukemia in Perth but unfortunately she died. I never wanted to meet the family but might have if s/he survived.

I was wondering how many other people have donated bone marrow or are on the register?

I'm on the register! Having seen how much it is needed when my uncle had leukaemia there's no way I wouldn't be. Well done Gemma for going ahead with donating!

Gemma that was an amazing thing u did for that family - what a wonderful person u r! I have actually never even considered it so thanks for bringing it to our attention. I'll give it a thought now :)

Well done to you Gemma - thats an amazing contribution to society! I am on the donors list for blood, and I am going to give plasma once my body is my own again. I dont know if I could do marrow - it sounds so hurty!!!!
I have found it very difficult being off the donor's list for the last 2 years (with another 18m to go!) with being pregnant and breastfeeding. But - I guess they will get it again when its all over for as long as I can.

I think what you have done is incredible. Kudos to you.

Good on you! I work with children with cancer, and it is soooo hard to find a compatible donor. What a precious gift. I am sure the childs' family is very grateful to you for even going through it all.

What a selfless act you have done! I would say with honesty, you are one of Gods walking earth Angels!


Love and light,
soul

Good on you.

I was on the register in the UK, but since moving to Australia have not been able to give blood (becasue of the UK mad cow thingo......the Red Cross won't have me, sadly).

Gemma, you are an angel for doing it.

They are so desparate, both for general blood, & for marrow, I think anyone who can, should. I wish I still could.

Thanks everyone, I was really just trying to raise awareness of being on the register and wondering who else had considered it. It is so special to think that we could possibly save someone's life. Donating blood is also a fantastic thing to do as it saves lives but I don't think there are many on the bone marrow register.

Good on you Ryn for being on the register although I don't think they will take you when you are pg!

Good on you Gemma, what an amazing thing you did. How sad that he/she died :(

I'm on the organ donor register but didnt even know of the bone marrow one, might have to go searching! Good on you Gemma, thanks for posting your story.

Oh yes, I've been on the BMDRegistry since 1990. It's amazing you got the call. I've never heard from them but I figured it was pretty indicative of how rare it actually is to match with a stranger. =) It's sad that the little girl died in spite of the transplant but you really gave her the best chance of making it by giving her your marrow.

I do know of one other BB member who received the call last year but she was pg at the time and couldn't donate unfortunately.

Good on you Gemma. I have been on the BMD register since 1991. A little girl in the town where we were living at the time (Sale) had leukaemia and there was a lot of fund raising and BMD days where you could register etc. Luckly the little girl survived and a lot of people went on the register because of her. I would do it in a heart beat if I was called up too.

I got a call to say I was a full match a few months ago but couldn't because of my pregnancy and can't for 12 months now I think.
My dad had bone marrow transplant - stem cells from his brother - 12 months ago - it was successful but he passed away short time later due to 'graft vs host' disease - a complication of transplants.
I just hope I can later help the person ?

Our friend was a bone marrow donor and sadly the child also passed away.It was a wonderful thing you did.

What a wonderful thing you have done Gemma...

moving to medical conditions..

I second what you said Soul...What An Angel. :)

Hi all,

I'm on the BM registry. I also worked as a nurse with children ith cancer and blood disorders, for six years. A bone marrow transplant is a horrible, dangerous experience, but it's sometimes the last hope for a child, and the more donors, the more chances such children have.

Well done.

Thanks for reminding me of this - it has been on my to-do list for years. I finally made the effort today and donated blood and signed up for the bone marrow registry.

Schmickers wrote:

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A bone marrow transplant is a horrible, dangerous experience,

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Yes it hurt but it was like a sore spot on my hip but it wasn't horrible. They only took 300ml rather than 1.5lt which is what they take out for an adult I think so I was lucky. Maybe from the medical side it is worse than the patient that is none the wiser because they are under a general?

Good on you Artechim and Trish for being on the register.

I've only just seen this thread. I'm on the register, I would love to get that call (scary as it would be) one day.

How wonderful that you donated your marrow but how sad that the little girl died anyway.

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Yes it hurt but it was like a sore spot on my hip but it wasn't horrible. They only took 300ml rather than 1.5lt which is what they take out for an adult I think so I was lucky. Maybe from the medical side it is worse than the patient that is none the wiser because they are under a general?

Good on you Artechim and Trish for being on the register.

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Heh - no, I was talking about undergoing the transplant itself. Donating is quite easy as opposed to the actual process of having a bone marrow transplant.

I was the donor for my DD's first bone marrow transplant she had in 2003 she was in remission after it and I was just happy about it specially becuase I was able to help her but the remission didn't last long she relapsed 2 months after and had to undergo another surgery, then she was in remission again and the same story repeats, she had 3 surgeries in total, I was devasted, Our family appreciate the other 2 persons help.

It wasn't bad, I didn't had time to worry about myself this time ,but for my DD:frown: She was very brave though

Where was your daughter treated, if you don't mind me asking?

I'm so glad I have seen this thread. I had no idea that there was such a thing as a BMD registry. When I am able to donate blood again, I will definitely sign up.

BTW Does anyone know at what point you can donate blood after giving birth? I'm assuming you can't while BF, but I don't really know.

To schmickers:

She was not treated in Australia, she was treated in Sweden in CCK(Cancer Center Karolinska) in Stokholm

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To schmickers:

She was not treated in Australia, she was treated in Sweden in CCK(Cancer Center Karolinska) in Stokholm

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May I offer my sincere condolences for your loss. I have worked with quite a few families through the struggles of childhood AML and it is never a pleasant experience. My best wishes go out to you and your family as you continue this difficult journey. Christmas is traditionally a difficult time as well, so I hope you weather it okay.

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May I offer my sincere condolences for your loss. I have worked with quite a few families through the struggles of childhood AML and it is never a pleasant experience. My best wishes go out to you and your family as you continue this difficult journey. Christmas is traditionally a difficult time as well, so I hope you weather it okay.

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Thankyou schmikers, I really appreciate it.
But children are always brave in this kind of situations, they're the ones that are less afraid(in our case), I'll like to share a brief story.

3 weeks before Reny passed away, she asked me If I was afraid and I told her to the true I couldn't lie to her I said "I'm terrified" and she said "Mommy you shouldn't be afraid, where I go is where you go"

Sylvia, that brought a little tear to my eye. and I hope it doesn;t bring you too much grief if I share a story with you.

I had the pleasure and honour of looking after an eight-year-old girl with leukaemia, who relapsed and sadly died. A fortnight before she died, she had yet to discuss it at all, and her parents had not been able to bring themselves to discuss it with her.
All of a sudden one day, during a ward round, she turned to her mother and said "Mum, after I die, I want you to lose weight." She turned to her dad and said "Dad, after I die, I want you to stop smoking." And she turned to her oncologist and said "Doctor, before I die, I want you to do the ward round in a nurses uniform.

She proceeded to plan, with her parents, both her "going away" party, so she could see all of her friends again, and her funeral. A few days later she was discharged.

A week and a half later, she woke up her mum and asked her to come and sleep with her. And in the early hours of the morning, wrapped up in her mother's arms, with the rain outside tapping on the window, she died peacefully.

Her father stopped smoking. Her mother has lost weight and to this day I believe has kept it off. And, the day before she was discharged, her doctor did do the entire ward round - a male doctor - in a female nurse's uniform. In full makeup.

When I die, that is the way I want it to be - at peace with myself, at peace with my family, warapped up in the arms of someone I love, with the rain outside tapping on my window. I can't even begin to put into words how much that experience, and the others I was privileged enough to share, have affected the way I look at life.

Life is far too short. Thank you, Silvia, for sharing your bittersweet story, and thank you to all of the people who have read this thread who will donate bone marrow, or be on the list to donate.

Schmickers that was a sweet story indeed and it brought tears to my eyes, I've actually never written about Reny's dead, her last minutes in this earth.

She couldn't hear and see very well before she died, her feet, hands and elbows were swollen and her eyes where practically swollen shut, she slept 22 hours every day and the 2 hours she was awake(around 3 am) she will count silently(we really didn't knew what she was counting and when we asked her she said "I will count to whatever number I want to count", in her birthday she only woke up to say "I love you" to me, DH and her siblings, she didn't open any of her presents. and a month before she write a "will" and told me to give some of her toys to her sister, brother and her beloved bike to a little girl that will really enjoy it, she also wanted to come to Australia, we lived here with her when she was a baby, we where on vacations in our home in Stockholm when she was diagnosed and we where afraid to travel with her, even though when she was in remission and she's burried here.

And she died in a similar way like the little girl in your story, DH and I slept with her every single day since she was discharged in mid December, there was nothing that was left to do for her so we took her home to wait as her body was slowly wasting, her last night she was restless she didn't sleep, she just opened her eyes one last time and gave us a sweet smile, then she close them again and said "I'm ready" she nodded her head yes as if she where talking to someone, I was holding her when she finally said "Mommy, Daddy I'll be waiting" she them mumbled some more and finally passed in my arms.

I just want you to know that you give life by donating, the family and the patient appreciate it:heartbeat: