Coming home again today!

Funny how things happen all of a sudden; my neutrophils (those germ fighting cells) decided to rock n' roll three days ago and my platelets are now up as well, so I will be returning to Urbana today - yippie!

Again, I want to thank everyone who has supported our family, your help is truly inspiring and so greatly appreciated!

Stephen mentioned that many people have inquired about how one finds a stem cell donor or if they can become a donor themselves so I thought I would post a bit on what we know about the process and provide some resources.

What makes a match?
The first step is to determine the HLA Type of the patient. HLA, Human Lymphocyte Antigen, refers to a group of proteins found on the surface of white blood cells and other cells involved in the body's immune response to foreign substances. These antigens vary from person to person, so once HLA typing is done for the patient, a search for a donor with matching HLA sites can begin.

How do you find a donor that is a match?
When someone like myself with AML needs to have a stem cell transplant there are two options regarding donors: a sibling, who has a 25% chance of being a match, or an unrelated donor. To find an unrelated donor, as in my case, the donor coordinator at the hospital works with The National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP), a registry that includes domestic and international registrants: http://www.marrow.org

When a donor registers with the NMDP, a cotton swab is rubbed along the inside of their cheek. The HLA typing is done directly from this sample and entered into the NMDP registry. The donor coordinator contacts the NMDP to find a match; the donor and the patient remain anonymous. Once a match is found, the NMDP contacts the donor who then decides whether or not to donate. If they do decide to donate, they undergo an information session, a physical, and blood work to make sure they are still the best match for the patient.

How do you register to be a donor with the NMDP?
To be a donor you need to be between the ages of 18 and 60. In East Central Illinois, the Community Blood Services of Illinois on University Avenue is an NMDP donation and recruitment center:
http://www.bloodservices.org

You can donate during office hours, make an evening appointment to register, or attend a donor drive. Sinai Temple and Community Blood Services of Illinois will be hosting a donor drive on Sunday October 30th from 10:30AM - 12:45PM at Sinai Temple, 3104 W. Windsor Rd, Champaign: This link has an announcement from Sinai Temple about the donor drive:

Sinai Temple Announcements (scroll down)

Another donor drive will be held at the University of Illinois on November 9th, in the Illini Union, 1401 W Green St, in room 211 from 10:00AM- 2:00 PM
This link has the announcement information:

http://marrow.org/Pages/DonorDriveSearch.aspx?key=105-4-00193

As an AML patient I am ever so grateful for those who are registered in the NMDP and may be a potential life saving match for me. If you feel you can become a donor, know that you may "Be the Match" for someone and save their life.

Cheers everyone!
Deborah