This week I wanted to provide some more detail behind the donation process, as it is a lot less stressful than public opinion would have you think.
So...
The first step is signing up to become a donor... There couldn't be a simpler process, all you do is register on the Anthony Nolan website, and they send you a test tube. You spit into the test tube and send it back to them. That's it.
Anthony Nolan will then store your sample and wait to see if it matches anyone looking for a bone marrow transplant. This in itself is incredibly rare, so the more people on the register the better.
What happens if I'm a match?
There are now two methods of donating bone marrow, one is more widely known than the other:
- Bone Marrow Donation
- Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Donation
Bone Marrow Donation
This is the more widely known process of donating, and it involves surgery under general anaesthetic, with a 1-2 week recovery period. This is the process that has been around for decades, but there's a newer, potentially more successful method available.
Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Donation
This is the new method, which I was put forward for. This has all of the benefits of the bone marrow donation, but none of the intrusion. I'll explain how -
For the 4 days before the procedure, you get visited by a nurse (at your home or your work, when is convenient for you), and they will give you an injection of a natural substance called G-CSF. This promotes the growth of stem cells within your blood, meaning you create more than you need. On the 5th day you go to their hospital in London and sit there for 4-5 hours with a needle in one arm taking blood out, a needle in the other arm putting it back in. In between is a machine that uses centrifrugal forces to separate your newly grown excess stem cells from your blood.
The blood goes back into your arm, the stem cells get collected in a bag and transferred to the patient.
The Anthony Nolan trust suggest you have a day off work after to recover, but even that is optional!
And that's it. No anaesthetic. No pain. No lasting effects.
Potentially one saved life.
When donation is this easy, it's a wonder that the Anthony Nolan's register is so short of people.
Signing up to the register is incredibly easy, and you can do it HERE
I don't do pleading or begging, but this is the right thing to do.
But I can't help the person I was matched to right now, you might be able to.
Thanks
Jamie
