Clearing misconceptions about bone marrow transplants

I had never intended this blog to be about myself or my personal life.  This was and is primarily a blog with spiritual content.   But since I my diagnosis of Leukemia last month, there has been a lot of misconceptions that require addressing, especially when it comes to locating donors for a possible bone marrow transplant.  I greatly appreciate the many who have told me of their intention to donate their bone marrow for my personal remission.  However, the process is not as simple as many may make it out to be.  Today’s blog, hopefully, will clarify certain misconceptions and prejudices that may be the cause of confusion and uncertainty.

First of all, the technology is so advanced now that no longer is it called a bone marrow transplant.  What the doctors use is the stem cells that are extracted from the blood of the donor.  There are no painful or agonizing experiences of one’s bone marrow actually being tapped and harvested.  The actual procedure is very much like going to donate blood at the blood bank, where one’s blood is taken, stem cells removed, and the rest is returned to the donor’s body in a short span of time.  As far as the donor is concerned, that is the only ‘inconvenience’ that one experiences as an actual donor.

Secondly, because the parameters (tissue typing) are so specific before any stem cell is received or given, the matching process is very detailed and specific.  This means that even though one may wish to donate one’s stem cells to a particular person in mind, it becomes almost impossible to be recipient-specific.  I fully appreciate the friends and parishioners who have told me that they want to give me their stem cells/bone marrow, but this is not how the process works.  It is far more complex than just the giving of one’s blood.  I have tried to explain to many friends that it doesn’t matter if they cannot donate their stem cells to me directly.  What matters is that they register themselves as potential donors and put their names on the worldwide register as interested donors.   When this happens, the list of potential donors becomes larger and larger, and it will shorten the waiting time for those who are waiting for willing donors whose basic parameters match theirs.  Currently, there are only about 55,000 local names that have registered as potential donors, which is a paltry number when our local population is 5.3 million.  This means that only 1% of Singapore’s population have signed up as potential, interested donors!  It is no wonder that they are still searching for a local match for me, and probably have to look overseas since only 1% of the local population has taken the effort to register themselves.

Thirdly, there is also the misconception that registering oneself as a potential donor is a painful and tedious process.  It is not.  One only needs to go the Blood Bank located at the Singapore General Hospital, and give a saliva swab from the cheek and fill out a few forms of personal details.  No blood is taken at this point.  This will become the basic information that is uploaded onto the local and worldwide register of potential donors.  Only when a potential match is discovered will one be contacted so that the next steps can be taken.  Apparently, it is at this point that some donors get ‘cold feet’, and decide to not go further in the donation process.  You can only imagine the disappointment that some recipients go through after hearing that a possible match has been discovered when this happens.

Fourthly, there is the misconception that donating one’s marrow will be a costly affair for the donor.  There is no cost at all to the donor, as the patient’s medical insurance will cover the medical expenses incurred.  The only cost will be one’s time and one’s stem cells.  It is important, however, to note that the registry will only accept registrants who are between the ages of 18 to 49. 

I do hope that this strange blog entry does not draw attention to my own predicament, but that it will help the many thousands who are waiting for a tissue type match, which will be able to give them a remission and much hope.  What is really needed is a mindset change towards donating.  Because this kind of donation is never recipient-specific, what is required is a generous heart that is open to the possibility of saving a life, no matter whose life it may be. 

When we are aware of our being active members of the Body of Christ, and that each one of us are that intrinsically connected through our spiritual bond, we become less concerned about whom we may be saving or helping, because whoever it is, it is a brother or sister in Christ.  This is at the heart of true Christian charity.  When we live this way, we will ever expand our horizons to love, to care for, and to ennoble one another in our shared journey that is called life. 

Further information about the Bone Marrow Donation Programme can be accessed here.