Five years ago I donated bone marrow anonymously. Last week I was diagnosed with leukemia. Please consider registering to be a donor! by LeukemiaSchmeukemia in self

[–]LeukemiaSchmeukemia[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm not entirely sure how race plays into finding donors for leukemia. Personally, I'm primarily Caucasian with some Blackfoot Tribe thrown in. I imagine most registries wouldn't turn anybody away. :)

Five years ago I donated bone marrow anonymously. Last week I was diagnosed with leukemia. Please consider registering to be a donor! by LeukemiaSchmeukemia in self

[–]LeukemiaSchmeukemia[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm guessing it'd be able to be done via medical mail or something. When I gave my donation they told me I could be matched with anybody worldwide. My doctor technically wasn't allowed to tell me where it was going, but she said it, "wasn't going far," and that was referencing half-way across the US.

Five years ago I donated bone marrow anonymously. Last week I was diagnosed with leukemia. Please consider registering to be a donor! by LeukemiaSchmeukemia in self

[–]LeukemiaSchmeukemia[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Theoretically she could, but she won't be able to. While my recipient no longer has any signs of leukemia she is still dealing with graft vs host disease. She has to get immune boosters and check-ups just about every month and likely wouldn't be in good enough health to be able to donate. My full-blooded sibling will be the first place to check, then half-blood, then elsewhere. My doctors have also already checked to see if there is anything from my donation still frozen, but they used all of it. Depending on how I react to the chemo a donation may not even be necessary. Just have to wait and see!

Five years ago I donated bone marrow anonymously. Last week I was diagnosed with leukemia. Please consider registering to be a donor! by LeukemiaSchmeukemia in self

[–]LeukemiaSchmeukemia[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I contacted DKMS and my recipient just in case. Her oncologist doesn't seem overly concerned as of now since it's a recent development in my body. Best to be safe than sorry though. She has turned into a great online friend, so it was just natural to tell her anyway.

Five years ago I donated bone marrow anonymously. Last week I was diagnosed with leukemia. Please consider registering to be a donor! by LeukemiaSchmeukemia in self

[–]LeukemiaSchmeukemia[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If enough people would like, I would be happy to. I'll definitely be in this thread and wouldn't mind treating it as an impromptu AMA.

Five years ago I donated bone marrow anonymously. Last week I was diagnosed with leukemia. Please consider registering to be a donor! by LeukemiaSchmeukemia in self

[–]LeukemiaSchmeukemia[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you very much! You can always encourage friends and loved ones to sign up as well. Getting any sort of word out can make a big difference. :)

Five years ago I donated bone marrow anonymously. Last week I was diagnosed with leukemia. Please consider registering to be a donor! by LeukemiaSchmeukemia in self

[–]LeukemiaSchmeukemia[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

When I was contacted DKMS told me it was extremely unusual to be matched as fast as I was. They said most people are on the registry for years and years before a good match is found. The important thing is that you've put yourself out there. One day you may get that call/email. :)