stapsdoes101things | Entries tagged with 025bonemarrowdonor

Today I came home from a party to find that the postman had brought me an envelope from the Anthony Nolan Trust. It contained:

1. a letter confirming that I've completed all the necessary steps to join the Anthony Nolan register, and don't have to take any further action until I hear from them;
2. a card confirming same;
3. bumph to pass on to other people who might be interested in becoming a bone marrow donor, particularly if they are men aged 18-30. Since my partner falls into this category I have given it to him.

This does leave a few mysteries unexplained (such as, what was that text message about, the one that said they hadn't received my saliva tissue-typing set?) but if they're happy, I'm happy. I may or may not be called up within the duration of my 1001 days. If I am, I will need to donate. If not, this task is completed, and I'm going to mark it as such until I hear otherwise.

I had a text message the other day. It was from the Anthony Nolan Trust, asking me why I hadn't returned the saliva tissue-typing kit they had sent me. I emailed them to explain that the reason was, in fact, that I hadn't had it myself.

They very obligingly sent me a new one, and there you see it. I followed the instructions and sent it back.

And I'm almost ready to call this goal complete. Almost. You see, there are two things that make me think it might not be quite there.

Firstly, I'm a little dubious about the time limit. The letter asks for it to be returned 'within three days'. Is that 'put in the post by myself within three days'? If so, we're fine. If, however, it's 'make sure it arrives within three days', I don't think it's going to make it.

Secondly, I fear that I may have included a little too much spit.

Either way, I'm sure that if they're not happy with my sample, they'll send me another kit. I hope they'll send me a letter of confirmation if they are.

I've been accepted as a Mystery Worshipper. Excitement! I'll have to think of some churches to visit now.

I'm also expecting a call from the Anthony Nolan Trust, who want to discuss some health issues with me before accepting me as a bone marrow donor. (No, I don't know what they are.)

In vaguely related news, I succeeded in giving blood on Thursday night. I so often find that my iron level is too low, so it's nice to know that I haven't wasted everyone's time.

And, while I've got the tab open, here is my latest post on

ancientandmodern.

I have...

- tried four new recipes (three soups and a pasta sauce), from three books, using the slow cooker and the stick blender
- taken photographs for seven of the Hundred Snapshots
- spent an hour playing my cello
- taken a photograph every day
- released two books
- done quite a lot of Wii Fit
- applied to become a Mystery Worshipper
- posted a commentary on Lo, He Comes With Clouds Descending to

ancientandmodern
- bagged

musicalbible and started filling in verses from the back of the Bible - counting part-verses (which I am) I'm at 17/1001 so far. (I heartily recommend not subscribing to that one if you don't want to get spammed)
- filled in an online form by way of a first step for registering with the Anthony Nolan Trust
- wild-released two books
- tried Currywurst
- watched three TED talks
- more or less finished this year's Yuletide assignment
- prompted by Do Nothing: Christmas is Coming, finished making one Christmas present, and got most of the way through another. I've also been doing lectio divina every night and, when it's got put up before I've gone to bed, filled in the examen at

wildgodcomm

I think that's it. Whew!

What's this about?

From the British Bone Marrow Registry website:

Bone marrow is a soft tissue found in the centre of certain bones in your body. It is this bone marrow which creates stem cells. Stem cells are the 'building blocks', which can grow into any of the other normal blood cells such as red cells, which carry oxygen, white cells, which fight infection, or platelets which stop bleeding.

...

There are a number of diseases that prevent a patient's bone marrow from working properly. These include leukaemia and aplastic anaemia as well as other diseases of the immune system. Although chemotherapy will successfully treat some of these patients, for many the only possibility of a cure is to have a stem cell transplant from a healthy donor. In about 30% of cases, a matched donor can be found from within the patient's family, such as a brother or sister. The other 70% of patients have to rely on a matched volunteer donor, identified through The British Bone Marrow Registry (BBMR).

Why do I want to do this?

I'm pretty healthy. Plenty of people aren't. Here is an opportunity to perhaps help someone out with relatively little effort on my part.

How will I know when I've done it?

I will be listed by the British Bone Marrow Registry or another bone marrow registry as a potential donor. If I am subsequently matched with a patient I will make every effort to follow through on the donation process.

This goal may be modified or replaced if for some reason that I'm not currently aware of, I'm not a suitable candidate for donation.

I'll record this in a post on this journal.

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One Hundred And One Things

One Thousand And One Days

Entries tagged with 025bonemarrowdonor

Be a match, save a life

Completed?

Just got an email...

So, eight days in...

025 Join bone marrow donor registry

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August 2013

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