Would You Consider Being On The Registry?

Over the past few years, I always had in the back of my mind that I would have a transplant. Specifically, a heart transplant. Every year I had tests performed to see if I would qualify, with each test, falling just short.

Little did I know that God was preparing us for a different transplant – a bone marrow transplant.

This past September, when we learned that I might need both a heart and bone marrow transplant (BMT) at the same time, we honestly laughed at the idea. It felt so surreal and we wondered how in the world we got to that point in life in the first place. Then the next day we learned my heart was healthy enough where we could bypass a heart transplant and could just do a BMT.

When I was first diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), we didn’t have the option for a BMT because of how sick my heart was. Therefore, I never really learned much about what a BMT even was. Well, we have now learned more about BMTs, as having now gone through it personally and I can’t help but share what we have learned, in hopes that maybe it inspires someone to join the registry, in order to save a life. Before I was a huge advocate of donating blood; well, now I’m an advocate of donating stem cells, a life-saving measure that is easier than you might realize.

I say all of this as one who is a recipient, not as one who has given. I won’t be able to donate blood or stem cells due to my health issues, but I hope in some way, someone’s heart is stirred and that they join the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP), knowing you are potentially saving someone’s life.

I just never thought it would be me. Me who needed someone to donate. Me who would be a recipient of someone’s selfless gift. Me who needed this transplant, with the alternative being chemo for life.

After reading through the NMDP website, I learned that every 3 minutes, someone is diagnosed with a blood cancer. Isn’t that mind-boggling? Within that realm, 70% do not have a family member who qualifies as a full match. For instance, they used 16 markers to match my donor and she was a perfect match. Imagine if she didn’t choose to donate? The NMDP requires you to be between the ages of 18-40 to register and it is done through a simple cheek swab. The data from that swab is added to a database, and doctors are then able to search for matches. Can you imagine being the person who searches for matches? What a fun job that would be!

When you receive the kit to test (which is free), you just send back your results, and within 6-8 weeks, you are added to the registry. Then you wait to see if your HLA (human leukocyte antigens) matches to someone else’s. The reasons for the age range of 18-40, is that research shows the younger the donor, the better survival rate there is for the patient.

If chosen, the donor will spend a few hours for a few weeks, going through testing and labs, to ensure they clear. As for donating, it’s much like donating plasma, but costs nothing to the donor. They say it takes about a week to recover, but most return back to work the next day.

Honestly, I had never heard of “Be the Match”, which is our NMDP. Truth be told, I never knew you could donate stem cells! I am still learning so much about having a BMT and it’s something that is truly life-altering and life-changing. It gives life and hope to someone who is walking with a blood cancer. Again, I never thought it would be me, but after watching those cells go through my line and into my chest cavity, I couldn’t help but praise God for the 21-year-old girl from Europe, who took time out of her life, to save someone’s life from across the ocean, from cancer. It’s not a guarantee cure and yes, there can be complications such a GVHD (graft versus host disease), but to me it’s worth it. And it is to many as well.

Maybe you are on the NMDP! Maybe you had never heard of it (like me until I was a candidate to receive one). Maybe you are curious to learn more. Maybe you feel God calling you to do this! Whatever boat you may be in, I encourage you to check out “Be the Match” online and consider signing up to donate yourself.

I would love to hear your experience with NMDP, whether you are on it, know someone who has been a recipient of a BMT, etc.! This is all so new to me and I know that this is an area of life that God wants to open our hearts, eyes, and mind to, so that we can encourage others to use the bodies God has given them, to give someone life beyond their diagnosis.

I know there are some parameters as to who can donate, and maybe you do not qualify. If you don’t, no worries! But what we can do is encourage those who feel called to donate, but also we can simply praise God for the gift of modern medicine, the minds he has created his people with, to discover this type of treatment, and we can pray for those who are on the list, who are donating, and those who wish to.

It is truly life-changing and life-saving. A process I never even heard of until I needed it. If I only knew back then what I know now! I encourage you to check it out: Be The Match.