Bone marrow transplants save lives

Sonoma Valley Hospital is offering a chance for interested community members to register with “Be The Match,” the largest and most diverse registry of its kind in the world, as possible donors for life saving bone marrow transplants.

Since not all bone marrow matches are from family members or even friends, thousands of patients with leukemia and other life-threatening diseases depend on the “Be The Match Registry” to find a life-saving donor. SVH is offering community members this opportunity to be included in the registry of possible donors.

The Bone Marrow Drive at SVH will be held on Monday, August 27, noon to 4 p.m. in the basement conference room.
Potential donors must be between the ages of 18 and 60, be willing to donate to any patient in need, and meet health guidelines. For more information, call Colleen Wilson at 935-5177 or Dawn Kuwahara at 935-5469.

The truth about bone marrow transplants:

Myth: Marrow donations require surgery.
Fact: The majority of bone marrow transplants do not require surgery. Today the patient’s doctor most often requests a peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) donation, which is non-surgical. The second way of donating is marrow donation, which is a surgical procedure. In each case, donors typically go home the same day.

Myth: Donation is painful and involves a long recovery.
Fact: There can be uncomfortable but short-lived side effects of donating PBSC as result of taking a drug called Filgastim for five days leading up to a donation. PBSC donors may experience headaches, joint or muscle aches or fatigue. PBSC donors are typically back to their normal routine in one or two days. Those donating marrow receive general or regional anesthesia, so they feel no pain during donation. Marrow donors can expect to feel some soreness in their lower back for one to two weeks afterward. Most marrow donors are back to their normal activities in 2 – 7 days.

Myth: Donation is dangerous and weakens the donor.
Fact: Though no medical procedure is without risk, there are rarely any long-term side effects. Be The Match carefully prescreens all donors to ensure they are healthy and the procedure is safe for them. They also provide support and information every step of the way. Because only five percent or less of a donor’s marrow is needed to save the patient’s life, the donor’s immune system stays strong and the cells replace themselves within 4 -6 weeks.