So, how many people does it take to save one life?
It can be many, or, it can be just one person…the right person – the perfect match.
For people in car crashes or... falling out of trees or... involved in a police type scenario, your savior may be a singular person. For people with severe medical conditions such as a cancer, it usually takes a team but even in the cancer world you are sometimes waiting for that ONE HERO.
For me, my life was definitely a team effort. If not for the multiple persons who donated their blood and platelets, I could have died. That is a fact. If not for the people who gave to cancer research in order for auto stem cell transplants to exist, I could have died. That too is a fact.
Thank you to whatever higher power there is that those people walk amongst us with a giving spirit. (And I recognize that the giving spirit does not just apply to ‘my causes’ but heck, those are the ones I am appreciating just for today).
Just before I had to leave work I sent out an email to some persons at my employer and in my personal life…aside for the ‘see you soon’ parts I wanted to send out a brief message about that giving spirit. Below are some extracts from my original email:
‘…Please consider giving blood. …Through this ordeal, I may require one if not several transfusions due to low counts – I probably will not receive ‘your’ blood specifically but there are thousands just like me out there who could benefit from this selfless act. …Please listen for local blood drives in your community and consider making a donation…or call 1 888 2 DONATE (1 888 236-6283).
Second, consider being a Hero. My stem cell and bone marrow transplant is autologous. …Others whose auto transplants have failed or simply were not candidates for auto transplants must wait and hope for matching donor stem cells. There is a national registry for Stem Cell/Bone Marrow donors. It is located at www.blood.ca or http://www.onematch.ca/. It is a…simple process on the …donors part and if someday you are a match – you will save a life. …Please consider this gift. The web-links <in
Robin Rocca (http://www.myspace.com/helprobinrocca) is a 28 year man from New Brunswick who has come to Ontario asking for just one person to save his life. That is all he needs – that one person. He has a blood cancer that is a cousin of what I had – leukemia. His cancer is aggressive and his family is not a match for him…neither is anyone in the Stem Cell Donor bank at http://www.onematch.ca/ either…yet.
As Robin explains:
‘OneMatch is a program through the Canadian Blood Services. And they do unrelated donor testing,” he explains. “You can sign up online at onematch.ca, and request to be a donor. And then what they will do is a swab kit in the mail. You basically swab the inside of your cheek to get a couple of cells and then from there they can get your [genetic] typing and they put you in the registry.”
If a person’s genetic typing matches up with someone who needs a donor, they can volunteer to donate their stem cells. The procedure is easy, and the stem cells are drawn from the blood and not the bone marrow. “What happens is I basically get infused with your blood,” Rocca continued. “They don’t have to go in and poke your bone marrow, or poke your bone and pull out stuff. They can actually pull it straight from your blood.”
For those interested in learning how to help patients like Robin Rocca can visit http://www.onematch.ca/ to learn about eligibility for the program and register online.’
The current data bank for Robin, plus approximately 750 other Canadians, does not currently contain their match – they are waiting for their match to register and become a donor to save their life. (If you are ineligible to be a donor or for whatever reason choose not, please consider giving blood and platelets the next time the opportunity arises).
Just think about it and click the sites to see if this is the type of gift you may consider giving. No obligation. P.S. Already some family members + friends have let it be known to me that they made them self part of the One Match list – thank you.
On another note/update – I am tired and continue to sleep and sleep and rest and rest but it is all good and I know I am healing and am happy that my turn of events has put my in the position of ‘survivor’.
With ongoing gratitude,
Carey
