Meningeezy

For the lazy... The aforementioned video

I felt the same selfish desire to be matched and a selfish satisfaction when I finally got matched. And a subsequent selfish bummer when my planned donation fell through last time. In the end, we may think it's selfish, but our hearts are still in the right place. With a strong desire to help other people, no shame there. It's purely a genetic thing to be matched, so don't be down. Being on the registry and being willing to donate is about 99% of the moral footwork so to speak.

Great question. I haven't grasped the gravity of what I did. I am only allowed very discreet details of the patient for up to a year after donation, in order to protect their identity and prevent people from withdrawing donations based on the recipient etc. I don't know much, but I certainly hope this patient gets what they need. There is a small chance they may need more after some time in which case, I would be more than happy to redonate. I feel great about what I've done, but I also firmly believe anyone would have done the same in my situation. I saved a life not by acting extraordinarily, but by being lucky enough to be asked to do something simple. Anyone else could do the same and I hope they will. My advice is to apply and tell everyone you know to apply as well. I've been spamming my social media because the more people are on the registry, the more likely someone is to have a match. There's never "enough" so to speak. Also huge thank you for pointing out where people in the UK could go. It's important to realize it's not a worldwide thing, so most of what I said applies mainly to US residents ya know? Very cool though, thanks again.

Another great question. This definitely depends on your line of work. If you are on your feet or active, then yes you will need time off. I have spent a lot of time sitting and lying down these past few days preparing for the withdrawal. If you work from a desk, maybe you could be just fine, maybe a half day when donation time comes close. From what I hear, the people who donate through the civilian organization actually receive the hormone injections at home and continue life fairly normally and then just head to an apheresis center for donation day. Definitely doesn't take you out of the fight for long. I would say it is bearable, just exhausting like you said.

The procedure itself was this morning and it was pretty mellow. I had a needle in one arm and a plastic tube in another and my blood was just pumped out, filtered, and pumped back in. It took about 4 hours or so to finish.