Since my new asthmatic bronchitis meds really started kicking in, about 2 yrs ago, and I have been feeling awesome ever since, I finally was able to become a blood donor. Something I had been wanting to do for years, but due to my own health state I was never able to. I have been giving blood regularly ever since.

The other day I got a letter from the bloodbank to ask if I would consider becoming a trombocyte donor and a stemm cell donor. The trombocyte donor thing was a no-brainer. That’s similar to regular blood donation, just takes a bit more time and can be at fairly short notice (when they call you, you need to go in within 1 or 2 days). Seeing as my office building is next to the bloodbank, that’s no problem.

The stem cell donor thing I had to maul over for a bit. As that is a much more invasive procedure. Stem cells are harvested from your bone marrow, which in turn is harvested from your pelvis, under full anaesthesia. And it takes your body a few weeks to replace that. So that means hospital admittance and some recovery time. I am not apprehensive about the procedure itself, but seeing as I am a single parent, it IS something that I had to think about for a bit.

Then again, chances are that you will never get called in, or maybe once or twice in your lifetime. As you have to be almost fully HLA compatible with the receiver.  And that is a chance of one in several thousands. And then, I remember the years I used to work at the secretariat of the Hematology department. And the terminally ill patients I saw pass by there almost daily, suffering from leukemia or other fatal illnesses that require bone marrow or stem cell transplantation. And the terminally ill children that I saw suffering from similar things at the Children’s hematology clinic. And how I got educated on all of this and the lifesaving ability of bone marrow and stem cell transplantation, while I was working there. And I remembered always thinking that if I was ever asked to be a bone marrow/stem cell donor I would do it, as I would be so grateful if someone would do that for me, or one of my loved ones, if need be.

And then that hand of mine, with the pen in it, was filling out the acceptance form faster than the speed of light. And I mailed it on my way to the office. So now I wait to get called in for my check up and HLA test, so they can add me to their files. And maybe someday I will be called upon and get to save someones life…