Why is it done?
Bone marrow transplants can save a person’s life if they have leukemia, lymphoma, other cancers, or sickle cell anemia. These transplants require donated blood stem cells.
You might think about donating blood or bone marrow if someone in your family needs a stem cell transplant and doctors believe you might be a match. Perhaps you want to support someone else — even someone you don’t know — who is in need of a stem cell transplant.
Pregnant women should consider storing the stem cells that remain in the umbilical cord and placenta after birth for future use by their children or someone else, if necessary.
How do you prepare?
If you want to donate stem cells, talk to your doctor or the National Marrow Donor Program. This is a federally funded nonprofit organization that maintains a database of donors.
If you decide to donate, you’ll learn about the process and potential risks. If you want to proceed, a blood or tissue sample can be used to help match you with someone in need of a stem cell transplant. You will also be asked to sign a consent form, but you may opt-out at any time.
The next step is to test for human leukocyte antigen (HLA) typing. HLAs are proteins found in the majority of your body’s cells. This test aids in the matching of donors and recipients. A close match increases the chances of the transplant being successful.
Donors who are matched with recipients of blood stem cell transplants are then tested to ensure they do not have any genetic or infectious diseases. The testing ensures that the donation is safe for both the donor and the recipient.
When transplanted, cells from younger donors have the best chance of success. Donors between the ages of 18 and 35 are preferred by healthcare providers. The age limit for joining the National Marrow Donor Program is 40.
The costs of collecting stem cells for donation are passed on to transplant recipients or their health insurance companies.
Recovery from bone marrow and PBSC donation
Donors of bone marrow and PBSC should be able to return to work, school, and most other activities within 1 to 7 days. Within a few weeks, your bone marrow will return to normal levels. It’s important to note that recovery times for bone marrow donors vary depending on the individual and the type of donation.
Recovery from donating stem cells: The average time from PBSC donation to full recovery is one week (seven days). It should be noted that median time is defined as the middle number in a range of numbers.
Results
Donating is a serious commitment. It’s difficult to predict what will happen to the person who receives the donation, but it’s possible that your contribution will help save a life. Some people contribute bone marrow donation for money while others just want to help important causes.
