Marrow and Blood Drive

On the 25th October, 2008 we are holding a blood donor drive in combination with a drive to get as many people signed up on the Marrow Registry as possible.  Normally there is a cost to join the marrow registry, but because we are doing this combination drive, the cost will be carried by Blood Assurance.  Wonderful, hey?

I want to get the word out firstly that to join the Marrow Registry simply m

eans giving a swab of saliva and then the data from that is entered in the registry.  The process of donating marrow is now mostly done via the arm, where blood is taken out, run through a machine that separates out the blood-forming cells and the remaining blood is returned to you through your other arm.  No drilling into bones, no bone removed and even if you do donate by actual marrow, which is an outpatient surgical procedure, you will not feel the pain - the anesthesia is goood, I hear :)

The recovery time after a donation is, in both instances, normally short and, in my opinion, the chance to save a life far outweighs any discomfort of either procedure.

But - back to the donor and blood drive.  I would love to make the benefits of donation, both marrow and blood, very real to every person who walks into Kays Kastles Ice Cream store on the 25th.  I want them to see the faces of those living because of a transplant, needing a transplant, because of blood and because of donors!  I want these faces all over that place and I would love for people to be able to talk to and even meet people dealing with different conditions needing marrow and blood and also the donors! 

I feel that being able to talk to someone who has been a marrow donor will alleviate many of the myths about this process.  So.............if you would like to help in this way, please send me a photo of someone you know that is dealing with this in any way - tell me whether they are needing a donor, already had a transplant, whether they regularly need blood or if they are a donor.  And if you are nearby, please come up and join us - we would love to meet you!  Greg, Rhonda - you still coming up? Pretty please..........:)

If anyone has any ideas, suggestions or anything that you think will make this drive all it can be, please email me and let me know.  This drive started off as one in honor of Steven and in memory of Adrian who is still making incredible changes in the education of people about donations, but now it has become more, much more.  This is a public blood and marrow donor drive - open to the public and for the public.  I still view it under the umbrella of Adrian's Army as it was because Adrian did so much that I got my behind out of neutral and got this ball rolling. In addition to Steven and Adrian being the main focus, this has now become a drive in honor of everyone dealing with the medical conditions that require blood and marrow in order to survive.  It's in honor of all those that fight this fight, their caregivers and supporters, its in honor of everyone that deals with this on a daily basis, in honor of those that have already saved lives by giving blood or marrow and in memory of those that have not survived - its because of them that so many of us do something positive to try to make sure that less people have to fight this fight.  

It's quite incredible just how much strength I get from others, other people with cancer, those that are cured, those that are waiting for that cure, those that love them and can only sit and wait and hope and those that are donor.  Those donors really do hold a special place in my heart.

And now I find myself rambling.  Just finished watching the Biden/Palin debate and needed to fill my mind with positive things.  Wow, did I just say that?  Cancer is more positive than politics??? WOW  What a good note to end the night on.

Love and light

Annie