Why I Donated Stem Cells for Be The Match

I honestly didn't want to write this story. I didn't want to look like I was seeking praise or attention because that is not the case at all. However, after talking to several people about how awareness is the main point of sharing this story I decided to go ahead and do it.

A few weeks ago I had the amazing privilege of donating stem cells for Be The Match.

It all started in January when I received an email that I honestly thought was spam. The email was asking me if I was still interested in being on the donor list. I was so I filled out the form and said okay well that will cover another 10 years or so.

See I had initially signed up as part of the Be The Match registry when a girl I went to school with was in need of a bone marrow transplant, that was over 10 years ago. I never got a call so I figured it would be a long shot that I would ever match with anyone. That changed in January of this year. After the initial email, another came that said that I was a potential match for someone. It asked me if I was interested in finding out if I was truly a 100% match for this person, so I again said yes not thinking too much of it. I received a phone call where I completed a health assessment then I had to go for a blood draw. After that, it was silent for about 6 weeks.

I then got a phone call from Be The Match saying that I was a complete match for someone, again they wanted to know if I was okay with moving forward in the process. I honestly don't think I even thought about it before saying yes. From that moment things picked up and moved pretty fast. I went for more blood work, a physical, and another round of health assessments. Once I was clear from the doctors and given the okay to donate I started taking shots every day leading up to the donation. These shots help your body produce more stem cells and boy do they work. Now, these shots affect everyone differently and in my experience, they were pretty intense. However, on my donation day, there was another young lady donating with me and she said the shots didn't affect her at all. I guess it just depends on your body.

Once I got to the donation day I was exhausted and ready to go. It seemed like a pretty seamless process (well at least for me). The most annoying part was laying completely still for seven and a half hours but besides that, it wasn't bad at all.

The recovery process wasn't bad either as I was up and moving around that evening. I still felt a little tired and drained for about a week and a half after the donation but overall I was pretty much back to my normal self.

I tell you all of this to say that if you are considering becoming part of the Be The Match registry just do it. It is a great way to give back to someone who may not have any other options left. I explained it to people as it is the least I can do to give someone a fighting chance at life.

If you aren't comfortable with joining the registry then please consider donating to Be The Match. All of my travel expenses and appointment fees were covered by the organization so they are always looking for ways to keep the mission alive.

Overall I am glad I got to have this experience and hope that my story can shed light on the Be The Match organization and all the good they are doing in the world.