Stem Cell donation <3

The process: for those interested

Back in my undergraduate program, I had swapped my cheek at a school fair to be a stem cell donor and forgotten about it. So much so, that in early January I thought that the program would be a good thing to do and swapped AGAIN. A month later, in February, I got a call that I was a match for a patient who needed a stem cell donation! Looking back, I think it was a bit meant to be that I felt like it was something that I should be part of right before someone needed it (even though I was already in the system— maybe mentally was preparatory for me).

I won’t lie—I was a bit hesitant at first. The program gave me the option to either A) have a bone marrow donation which requires a small hip incision; or B) donate through a blood separation process which requires 5 days of medical injections. I decided to go with choice B, because having to go under for a surgical procedure seemed to increase the risk of any complications (in my head at least).

The process began with lots of paperwork, an extremely in depth physical at the hospital that the program was contracted with, several blood tests (infectious disease panel and pregnancy test), and screeners to make sure that I qualified in my current health.

I was going to donate back in March, but the patient (who has leukemia) needed to do some additional treatments before they were prepared for the cell transfer. So, I received the call again from my case coordinator that the donation day would be on June 5th.It can be hard on their body and not always a successful uptake of the cells. But does give them the best chance at recovery.

I decided that having a home nurse come give the injections would be more work to schedule on the weekend, so I read up on the materials I was given and learned how to take all my vitals myself (BP, pulse, etc.) and also administer two injections a day with Filgrastim. This medication stimulates white blood cell production which can increase you stem cell count prior to donating. I was proud of myself for not getting too scared of the needles and just going for it! There are some side effects to the medication which I will admit, was the hardest part for me. I had some chest pain and bone pain; which I later learned was from the stem cells growing so rapidly! But luckily, was only four days of slight discomfort and then I was off in my pre-paid Uber to Long Island for my donation.

I got there a little before 8 AM to get a high-protein breakfast, and then met my nursing team. I was surprised at how many people introduced themselves to me and supported me through out the entire process! Everyone was very kind and thankful for my willingness to donate. I had to do one last blood test and then they had me go to the bathroom before (since you can’t be unhooked from the machine during). Then, they entered IVs into both my arms and started the collection! One arm takes your blood out and puts it into a processing machine that takes out your stem cells, the rest of the blood is then pumped back into your other arm so your platelet count is not too low.

The collection process took 5 hours which they said was great time! The nurse mentioned that I had a really high stem cell count—which I definitely feel like was a huge blessing. I left the hospital right after and have been taking it easy for the last few days. I had a few symptoms of bone pain two days after — but as of today can report I am back to normal!

Overall—just wanted to share this process for anyone who is interested and wants to know more about it! It sounds like a lot, but all things considered, I am very glad that I did it and hope that the transfer helps extend the patient’s life. If you are considering joining the registry, feel free to message me with any questions or about various programs.