My Donor Experience

     I did it!!  I hopefully saved the life of a patient somewhere in the world that has Lymphoma disease yesterday!  I can't believe it was so easy and pain free (for the most part).

     I got the call back in August. It was my first official day back to work, after having a two-three month summer break.  They first sent me an e-mail that I almost deleted since I thought it was spam.  As I read it, I became very nervous.  I didn't feel healthy or good enough to donate and potentially save somebody's life!  The next day, I got a phone call telling me that I was a potential match.  They told me that if I agreed, they would send me information in the mail, arriving the next day, that would give me more information about the process.  I was very scared and did not feel like I could do it.  I agreed to have them send me the information and I told them I would think about it.  I posted it on Facebook to see if anyone else had donated before and knew what it was like.  No one responded except a few friends that were nurses that knew about the process.  As I spoke with Andrew and my family about the donation, I came to the realization that this patient is a mother, daughter, son, father, grandparent, aunt, uncle, etc.  It was a family member to some family somewhere in the world.  I put the situation to my own life.  If my Mom or Dad or sister or husband had a blood disease and there was a potential bone donor that turned it down, I would be devastated!!  I knew then and there that I had to do whatever I could to help this patient.

     I received the packet in the mail the following day.  I immediately called DKMS (the agency I was going through) to inform them that I was willing and able to donate.  Deep down, I was still terrified and did not feel worthy to donate.  I did not feel healthy enough, good enough, brave enough, etc.  Ultimately I did not feel like the hero that I felt I needed to be in order to save a life.

     They asked me to donate blood at a local Lab Corp to send to the patient's doctor to confirm me as a match.  I went the following day to give blood.  I was nervous because I had NEVER given blood.  I was always too scared, but I was willing to help this patient out, so I went.

     I was also a little nervous because Andrew and I have been 'trying' to get pregnant since last summer.  We have yet to plan plan, but we haven't been on birth control since I received my Bachelor degree.  Thankfully, they did pregnancy tests and confirmed that I was not pregnant.  This was another decision I had to make.  Andrew and I had to decide whether we should put a two to six month hold on having a family or not.  We quickly decided that Heavenly Father has a hand in everything.  We felt that we had not been able to get pregnant because I was meant to be a bone donor for this patient.

     After the blood test, I waited just over a month to hear that I was a match!  It was a very long six weeks or so.  The wait was hard for me.  And I can only imagine how the patient and their family felt.  Megan called me to let me know that I was officially a match and that we were ready to move forward and select dates.  There are two ways to donate, one being a surgery to extract bone marrow from my hip (very painful for weeks) or stem cell donation which involved getting shots for five days in a row then to be hooked up to a machine and donate similar to donating plasma.  Neither way sounded great to me, so I was ready and willing to do either.  Megan informed me that the patient's doctor would prefer the stem-cell research method (yay!  no surgery, just shots...).  She gave me the dates they were thinking.  I told her that worked for me and I worked to get a sub.

     They required me to go to the place of donation to get a physical exam from a doctor there (not the patient's doctor) to be sure I was healthy to donate.  While I was there, they conducted more blood tests, an EKG, and a chest x-ray.  When I was speaking with the doctor, he mentioned that my platelet count and white blood cells were slightly high.   He said he wasn't too concerned, but that he wanted me to get more blood work done and sent to him to be sure I was clear to donate.  I left feeling better, and I was not nervous.  I felt that I would be able to donate and that my next blood work samples would be normal.

     The next thing I knew, the first day of my shots were here.  I was told that the shots would make me tired, sore, nauseous, and achey.  I was expecting the worst.  They told me I should be fine to go to work the first few days of the shots, but that it should hit me on the third day of shots and beyond.  I was slightly sore, but not too bad.  Day three came and went, and I still felt fine.  I had some bone soreness, especially in my lower back and occasional pain in my joints, throat, and neck, but other than that, I felt just fine.  I felt normal!  I was worried that they hadn't given me the correct amount of medication because I felt so normal.

     The day of my flight out finally came.  The following two days I was to donate.  This time, they paid for an extra person to fly out and stay with me.  Obviously, I chose my husband, Andrew.  I was so excited and nervous to finally be able to donate.  As I was packing up, I felt a sudden rush of gratitude to my Heavenly Father.  I remember thinking of the patient and their family and hoping that they had the gospel.  If they did not have the gospel, I hoped that they had some form of knowledge of the sacrifice Christ made for them and their present trials.  I was full of gratitude for all of the prayers that had been made on my behalf.

     Andrew and I flew out that evening.  Our flight was easy and the drive that picked us up was the same driver that picked me up that last time I was at the airport.  He was very friendly.  We arrived at the hotel, and grabbed some food.  We then went to the hotel to eat it and relax.

     The next morning, we woke up, ate breakfast.  They told me to eat a high protein breakfast, but all the hotel had was fruit and toast.  I ate what I could and ran out to the street cause the driver had been waiting for us for 10 minutes (he was early).  The driver took us to the hospital from the hotel.

     At the hospital, they asked me if I needed to use the restroom.  I told them I was okay thinking I would have another chance...boy was I wrong!  I sat on the bed and they immediately went to work giving me my last set of shots and hooking me up to the machine.  Next thing I knew, they had me ready to go and I began the donation process.  The time went by pretty quickly.  I watched local television.  The one nurse was so funny.  Each time a show ended, she quickly stood up and asked what I wanted to watch.  I was basically pressured into watching what she wanted to watch.  Boy was she lucky that I am an easy-going person and was fine to watch anything.  The last hour of donating I had to use the restroom!!!  My choices were to use a bed pan or wait until I was finished.  I decided to hold it.  Man oh man, my poor bladder was not happy with me.  That last hour was so long!!  

     Thankfully she hurried and unhooked me so I could go to the restroom.  I made it!!!  I was scheduled to return the next day.  Here are some pictures that Andrew took of me donating.

This is me hooked up to the machine.  The red one is the stem cells and some blood.  The yellow bag is plasma that they will mix with the stem cells.

This is the bag of stem cells mixed with the plasma.  I ended up donating three times what the patient needed.

This is me bandaged up!

I highly encourage you and others to sign up to be a donor.  It was well worth it!

     They called me the evening of donation day one telling me I did not need to come back in because I had actually donated three times the amount needed for the patient.  DKMS told Andrew and I we would still fly home and that we could just rest up the following day.  Andrew has spent the day doing his homework.  We have gone on many walks.  A couple missionary from our ward are picking us up today at 5:30 for dinner.  I am excited to get out and have some company.  I will keep you updated on the patient and my recovery.  So far, I have felt normal with few aches from the leftover shots.  

     The patient and I are allowed to have anonymous contact for one year.  At the one year anniversary, we are allowed to exchange information if we both agree.  I really hope the patient will make it and that I can have contact with them.  I am truly hoping to use this as a missionary opportunity.  My fingers are crossed!!!  :D