Jesse Thaloor's Donation Story
For those are skeptical about this or have any questions .. Do not worry.. I donated bone-marrow last year for a patient with a blood disorder and it was entirely worth while.
For those who do not know how the process works, here is a quick summary:
There are two was this is done depending on what the treatment objective is. One is to use filgrastim to boost the stem cells (precursor to bone-marrow) and then collect it via filtering the blood. The other is to actually surgically remove bone marrow from the hip bone. This is done with a long needle and except for some discomfort up will be up and about in a day or two.
Both require some investment in time, usually about an hour for a week and then about half a day to extract the marrow. You can function normally during the five days but you are advised to take tylenol or motrin (while on filgrastim) because it may cause some minor pain. I did take some tylenol but the pain was not noticeable so I quit taking it after day 3. The doctors also collect blood from you every day to keep an eye on things. You can drop out before day 1 but after that the patient is already on a path for the treatment and backtracking puts him/her at risk.
The National bone marrow donor program is very well managed. They will keep you in the loop with a lot of information and have doctors on staff who can answer an concerns you have. The team running this in our are a is very good. I have spoken to most of them. And also remember that being on the donor list does not mean that you will be called up soon. The probability that you will asked to help out is very low (I think 1 in 100k). And if ou ever need to talk to someone who has done this please feel free to email me.
Thanks
Jesse
jthaloor@gmail.com