The crazy thing about a bone marrow transplant is they are risky. The genetic match must be much closer than even organ transplants because the transplanted marrow forms the recipient's new immune system. If this new immune system rejects the host, known as graft-verses-host disease, the recipient will die and there is nothing modern medicine can do to help. Even now with the best of our technology 10% of bone marrow recipients die within the first 100 days of acute g-vs-h. Because bone marrow transplants are so risky they are a last ditch effort.
In the spring of 2011 I was determined to be the genetic match for a woman, and we began the "work up" process to prepare us both for the donation/receiving. On May 12th 2011 I donated approximately a quart of marrow. And she lived!! Praise the Lord she lived. After a year I have had the opportunity to speak with my recipient and we have exchanged a few cards (which has been so fun).
We just celebrated the two year anniversary of my donation. What blows my mind is the fact she is alive because of the marrow I gave. Yes it was scary going into the donation and painful coming out, but the fear and pain were temporary. I was on pain meds for a few days, it hurt to bend at my waist for a week, I could not run for a month; but then I was fine. 4-6 weeks after my donation my body regrew all my bone marrow. Two months after the only evidence on my body were two tiny scars on my hips. And a woman is alive because of this. My temporary pain gave her a new shot at life. This woman will hopefully get decades of life off of my marrow in her bones. How awesome is that?! And it affects her family too. I just learned she is able to see her daughter graduate from nursing school this month. Two years ago she did not think she would be alive to see this, and now her daughter gets to have her mother at her graduation because of a simple donation.
This reminds me of Jesus, who endured the agony of the Cross (much worse than bone marrow donation) so that we might have an opportunity at life. He willingly and gladly endured the Cross to give humanity the opportunity to be saved. Jesus knew the cost and He knew we were worth it. How awesome is that? We have life, hope, joy, and love because He said the temporary pain was worth it.
Jesus is so good.
