Hey guys,

There is a bone marrow typing drive in Talley today from 3-7pm. Typing is totally painless...just a cheek swab...and should take about 20mins. Please come out and help us reach our goal of 500 donors and also to show support for our Leader of the Pack, Nick Schultz, who was diagnosed with leukemia. Hope to see you all there!

4/14/2008 12:31:12 AM

HLA typing is a breeze. My 3 month old son just had it done a couple of weeks ago in preparation for a thymus transplant. It really is just as simple as a cheek swab!

4/14/2008 12:47:45 AM

^seconded

4/14/2008 12:59:32 AM

http://www.marrow.org/DONOR/When_You_re_Asked_to_Donate_fo/Donation_FAQs/index.html#happens

4/14/2008 1:27:17 AM

so I'm not in the area and won't be able to make it, but does bone barrow have the same restrictions as blood donations concerning mad cow disease and living in Europe for extended periods of time?

4/14/2008 1:49:48 AM

^^oooo that's good to know

4/14/2008 8:16:22 PM

bttt

7/31/2008 12:30:36 AM

^ thanks alan

i got on the registry over 7 years ago and got a phone call today as a match

i have to fill out some paperwork and fax it in. sounds like this one is moving pretty quick. he's a 31 year old male with leukemia

kind of crazy that i have the chance to save someones life

has anyone else ever been matched?

7/31/2008 12:31:19 AM

Quote :

"A small percentage (1.34%) of donors experience a serious complication due to anesthesia (death) or damage to bone, nerve or muscle in their hip region."

You WILL have to pay for your own travel and other expenses.

7/31/2008 12:42:52 AM

Quote :

"# Who pays for the donation process? # Donors never pay for donating, and are never paid to donate. All medical costs for the donation procedure are covered by the NMDP or the patient's medical insurance, as are travel expenses and other non-medical costs. The only costs to the donor might be time taken off from work."

7/31/2008 12:49:44 AM

yeah...really, the only thing that being a donor means you'll have to do is:

- take time from work/school to travel to the donation site
- risk your life through anesthesia (really, you probably have a greater chance of dying on the way to the donation site)
- deal with a bit of pain

i mean, when you realize you're saving someone's life...that's why i got typed

7/31/2008 8:46:44 AM

i live in houston so im hoping there is a center here in town so i dont have to travel too far!

sending in the info today, we'll see what happens

7/31/2008 8:50:27 AM

I had a teacher in high school who was on 20/20 for donating. It's pretty rare that they ever find a match for you.

Quote :

"i have to fill out some paperwork and fax it in. sounds like this one is moving pretty quick. he's a 31 year old male with leukemia kind of crazy that i have the chance to save someones life "

Be glad you can help someone. I lost a loved one to Leukemia this year and I really had no idea just how bad it was until I saw it happen first hand. Good luck.

Is it fair for me to assume that non-students are welcome? I'll actually be on Hillsborough St. around 4:30 and might be able to swing by and contribute.

[Edited on July 31, 2008 at 12:09 PM. Reason : l]

7/31/2008 12:07:48 PM

Quote :

"- risk your life through anesthesia (really, you probably have a greater chance of dying on the way to the donation site) "

You have far less than a 1.34% chance of dying in a car accident on a daily basis. A 1.34% chance of death or other "serious complication" is moderately high. For every 70 people that donate (the amount of people reading this thread), 1 will die. If all 500 of the people they test for get a match, 67 of them will die if they follow through.

[Edited on July 31, 2008 at 12:32 PM. Reason : or have "serious complication"]

7/31/2008 12:31:43 PM

Quote :

"For every 70 people that donate (the amount of people reading this thread), 1 will die. If all 500 of the people they test for get a match, 67 of them will die if they follow through. "

It does not say 67 out of 500 will die. It says 67 out of 500 will have a serious complication. And only a fraction of those will be from anesthesia. I'd think that most adults know whether or not they have medicine allergies and are at risk for anesthesia related problems. How many people hesitated to get knocked out for their wisdom teeth surgery?

Many of the 1.34% will just be people who don't heal well or have a nerve get damaged during the surgery. While it's not a good thing, it's not the end of the world either. I bet the actual risk of suffering any major trauma or having long term damage is very low and the risk of death is next to none.

[Edited on July 31, 2008 at 12:52 PM. Reason : l]

7/31/2008 12:51:11 PM

emailed the paperwork in today, should hear back soon.

the risk doesn't really scare me

i just don't have the heart to say no to the possibility of saving someones life

will let tww know how it plays out!

7/31/2008 3:12:31 PM

Any info on where someone could go next week to get typed? It's one of those things I've always wanted to do but never knew where to go.

7/31/2008 7:34:48 PM

You can buy a kit for $52 and do it yourself.

7/31/2008 7:53:36 PM

I doubt they'd want my bone marrow.

7/31/2008 9:16:40 PM

i went to a typing last month, but i am not "eligible" because i had leukemia when i was 2.5...i've been in remission for over 20 years and will never be "eligible" to be a potential match.

7/31/2008 9:42:56 PM

i think i got signed up for the registry when i donated blood. you can go on their website and see when they're having events or go into a center to get in the system i'm sure

8/1/2008 1:07:30 AM