Posts by Elizabeth King31

Bone marrow donation isn't exactly your run-of-the-mill procedure... I mean, why bother extracting the marrow if they aren't going to call you up later in life and tell you that you're the perfect match for someone based on your HLA and all those other specific antigens?
On the "Voluntary Blood Donation" thread, there’s been a lot of talk lately about bone marrow donation, so I decided to pull this one out:
Back at the end of August, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society called me. They wanted to know if I’d consent to having my blood sample undergo extra testing alongside samples from two others—three of us Americans—because we seemed to be a strong match for a patient over in Poland. They went through the whole routine of asking "female-centric" questions, like whether I was pregnant or breastfeeding (which, for the record, I am neither). This extra testing is just to figure out which one of us is the absolute *best* match. The doctor promised to update me on the results regardless of the outcome, even if I don't end up being the top donor candidate. But it's been 10-14 days since they said they'd call, and I haven't heard a peep...
Up until a year or so ago, signing up with the foundation could only happen at the Mayo Clinic, where I originally registered, but now you can do it all over the US. You can even do it in Miami, though which hospital specifically 🤷 Google knows...

Sure, you can find plenty of misinformation if you go digging online, but you won't find that nonsense on the official foundation websites. Everything regarding the procedures and all the necessary details is laid out there, so honestly, that's your best bet...

Just a little bit of Google and 😉
So far, 16 lives have been saved 🙂 The Washington Post published that news about three months ago...

Arthur Rodriguez8 said:Hey everyone, I've got a question too. I’m looking into joining the registry and have been reading up on it quite a bit. Everywhere I look, it says you choose between bone marrow extraction from the hip or peripheral stem cells via leukapheresis (kind of like dialysis). They claim it doesn't matter to the recipient. So, here’s my thing: if the patient doesn't care which way I provide the marrow, why would anyone ever bother with surgery under general anesthesia when the other option is so much simpler and less painful? I assume there must be some catch when both methods are available, but I can't find a single mention of what it actually is. Anyone know?
thanks

It’s true that about 70% of people opt for peripheral blood stem cell donation, but bone marrow transplants are usually the go-to when the recipients are children, simply because the outcomes tend to be much better for them compared to receiving stem cells from the blood...

They called yesterday, told us to check back in two weeks. Great. -.-

Hmm, I know they pay, $50 after you donate. But they aren't paying you personally because you're giving a "piece of yourself"—blood donation isn't a paid job (it's a gift), so that money is just reimbursement for travel and your time spent there..
Besides, those plasma centers manufacture medicines that can't be made in a lab (like immunoglobulins, etc.) and then sell them; they make a profit on them, so it seems fair that we, as donors, get some kind of "paycheck"😁
If the money doesn't matter to you, just go donate plasma to a foundation or something instead... 🙂

Well, they finally got back to my friend. They told us to reach out this month. 🙂
@rustymason92 - honestly, I think that kind of thing only happens in Washington, D.C....

About three months ago, I sent an email to the Institute of Immunology over on Rockefeller Boulevard regarding plasma donation. They shot me back saying they aren't accepting new donors right now. However, I recently heard from a doctor who used to sell plasma that they usually say that just to discourage people—they actually *are* taking new donors, you just have to be persistent with the calls and emails. A friend of mine also emailed them recently, but she’s still waiting on a reply... honestly, just try calling them or sending another email. Basically, once they start accepting new donors, you head in, they take a sample, and then they contact you a week later with the results. If those meet their specific criteria, you can donate plasma every single week. In their email, they even mentioned—and I quote—“due to the nature of plasma donation and the frequency of visits, each donor receives a complimentary meal and compensation for travel expenses and lost time." Specifically, $50 for that 45-minute trip...

No need to call ahead or make an appointment 😉

And I finally made my way into the registry today 🙂

http://www.chase.com/lgs.axd?t=16&id=4922
This is a portal, though I haven't filled anything out yet—just saw it online. If they didn't offer it to me, does that mean it isn't mandatory to have? Or what?

I set up my checking and savings accounts from that bundle, but I didn't get the American Express card. Now I'm a bit lost. 😁 Does this mean I'll be paying higher fees or what? Also, can I actually use that card to transfer funds from somewhere like an AlertPay account?

Following up on my previous thought—why can't they just take in new donors every week? It should be simple: show up on Monday, get the blood drawn, run the tests, and if everything checks out, they call you back a week later to donate plasma.
Can anyone who’s actually been through the process explain how this works? 🙂

Is it possible to donate blood and/or plasma after bone marrow donation (once a certain amount of time has passed)?
I remember reading somewhere that people who have received a transfusion can't donate blood. Since they actually use your own blood during a bone marrow transplant—which basically means you were on a transfusion yourself—does that mean I'm disqualified from donating blood ever again?... 😕 I hope I haven't overcomplicated things too much and that my question actually makes sense. 😁