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Years ago when I first started giving blood I signed up to the British Bone Marrow Registry. Months ago I got an email saying I was a potential match for a patient. Today I'm in Sheffield preparing to go to the Therapeutic Apheresis unit here for counselling and further tests.Permalink On Internet Archive
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I'm currently second-in-line to donate stem cells to a patient. This started with me sending a small sample of blood to a couple of labs who verified me as a match. Now I have to have further tests to see if I'm healthy enough to donate in case Donor No. 1 can't do it.Permalink On Internet Archive
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It's difficult to find matching stem cells. Across the British Bone Marrow Registry, there's about a 1 in 240 chance that a donor will be matched in any given year. If you can sign up, please do to increase the chances of finding matches for patients. bbmr.co.uk/Permalink On Internet Archive
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Today I'm getting counselling to outline the possible effects of peripheral blood stem cell collection and to have blood pressure tests, an ECG, and a chest X-ray. There are only eight therapeutic apheresis units in the UK that do this testing and they're all in England.Permalink On Internet Archive
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As I say, I'm second in line so I probably won't end up donating but it's good to check and nice to get a check-up on my heart as part of the testing since heart problems run in my family.Permalink On Internet Archive
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In the unlikely event that I do end up donating, the timescales for aftercare are intimidating. Donors receive counselling check-ups at regular intervals for ten years. After two years, a recipient may get a donor's contact details to thank them or meet if both parties want that.Permalink On Internet Archive
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That's that done. Blood pressure check, weight and height check, some discussion of what donation involves, filled up like 12 vials with blood for testing, pissed in a cup for testing, and an electrocardiogram. Now I go home and they let me know if anything looks unusual.Permalink On Internet Archive
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The no-nonsense Polish doctor was very pleased by my "I don't give a shit what you do with my cells once they're outside my body" attitude when she asked about retaining some of my blood and stem cells for scientific testing.Permalink On Internet Archive
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I don't care. Test my blood, take my eyes when I'm dead, throw it into medical waste. It's no more part of me anymore than nail clippings.Permalink On Internet Archive
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Good news from last week's battery of medical tests: I'm in good heart health with no concerns from the blood tests (maybe take some iron supplements, they said). They'll let me know next week if I'm going to be the person who donates to this patient or not.Permalink On Internet Archive
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There we go: confirmed that the patient has had a successful donation and I'm no longer required to donate stem cells. A bit of an anticlimax after these months of prep but the important thing is that whoever it is got the stem cells they need.On Internet Archive
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Again, I'd encourage anyone who is able to do so to sign up to the British Bone Marrow Registry to make it more likely that the NHS will be able to find matching donors. Maybe, like me, you'll end up getting a nice medical checkup out of it. bbmr.co.uk/Permalink On Internet Archive
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This means I'm free to do what I like with my blood again—it's no longer reserved for stem cell donation—so I'll be off to the Blood Donor Centre to donate some of this excess blood I've got sloshing around.Permalink On Internet Archive