I was on YouTube a few minutes ago and came across a video blog from a leukemia patient who is fearing for her life. She does not have much time left (2 months) and she is begging for her life and hoping that more people will register to donate bone marrow in the hopes that someone will be her match. This is very important. I urge everyone who reads this thread and watches this video to please post it on your FaceBook walls, on Twitter, e-mail everyone you know and just spread the word! Time is running out for Janet and we can do something as simple as raising awareness. I hope a match is found for her.

WATCH THIS VIDEO AND SHARE IT WITH EVERYONE!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSCyz8F_kuo

It would be nice that when we were born, some things such as our bone marrow would go into a national database.
That way, if the time arrived that you came up as a match, you could be notified and make the decision to give.

I think some day, that may be possible.

For now, it's a very huge and constant struggle to locate a match for people needing bone marrow transplants.

I hope they find a match for her.

valerie wrote: It would be nice that when we were born, some things such as our bone marrow would go into a national database.
That way, if the time arrived that you came up as a match, you could be notified and make the decision to give.

I think some day, that may be possible.

For now, it's a very huge and constant struggle to locate a match for people needing bone marrow transplants.

I hope they find a match for her.

I agree with you. Everything dealing with marrow donation is by choice. There are a lot of people in the world with leukemia who are of mixed race and so finding a match for them is much more difficult, but it has been done. I do like your idea of new borns marrow going into the national database and if the day comes their marrow is a match for a patient, they can choose to donate. I suppose for some this could feel like they are being forced into a decision that could label them in a negative manner should they choose not to donate. I think even still by doing this it would be a great effort for restoring humanity to this world.

I've never been called to donate bone marrow but I am in the national database...been in there for about....20 years!
Or, maybe longer than 20 years. A long time.

I also donate blood. My blood is always in need but unfortunately, I am the type of blood that if I needed it,
would not be as easy.

At the hospital where I use to work for years, I had my own blood bank. I'd donate my own blood, to myself.
That way, if I was ever in the need of it, I would receive my own blood from my blood bank. This was an
employee benefit. Fortunately, I never needed it.

I'm RH0-

valerie wrote: I've never been called to donate bone marrow but I am in the national database...been in there for about....20 years!
Or, maybe longer than 20 years. A long time.

I also donate blood. My blood is always in need but unfortunately, I am the type of blood that if I needed it,
would not be as easy.

At the hospital where I use to work for years, I had my own blood bank. I'd donate my own blood, to myself.
That way, if I was ever in the need of it, I would receive my own blood from my blood bank. This was an
employee benefit. Fortunately, I never needed it.

I'm RH0-

I was truly amazed when I read this. I have never heard of anyone doing this. Wow! Such a great idea and good for you looking out for yourself.

Yes and that has been quite some years ago.

I remember being the first of a few, to see the first blood transport back into the body.
Not sure if it is common place today or not. I can't really explain it but will as simplified
as I can.

The way that works is, while in surgery, your blood loss is collected.
After surgery, your blood is returned back to you.

In the old days, and probably is the case often due to the circumstance and hospital,
when you lose blood in surgery, that was it. If you needed blood, they gave you blood.
But they did not return the blood you lost. The blood you lost was just washed away.

That was a rather interesting procedure to see.

I just wanted to post an update here to say Janet has posted a video update on her Youtube channel and Facebook page. She will be undergoing more chemo soon. Lets all hope and pray the side effects remain minimal so it doesn't weaken her body for a transplant if her match is found.