LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Every three minutes, someone is diagnosed with blood cancer like Jenifer Arms.
Arms, who is a nurse, needs a stem cell transplant that could save her life.
“I have to undergo large amounts of chemotherapy before the transplant to wipe all of my cells out. They want to take it down as low as they can – so the cancer cells are gone, hopefully,” she explained. Then, I would get the stem cell transplant which would totally replace all of my stem cells with the donor’s.”
All it takes is a swab of the check, and then you’re placed on the national “Be The Match” registry to see if you could help someone like Arms.
Stem cell transplant is similar to donating plasma and relatively in evasive wile a bone marrow transplant is a more intense procedure.
Phillip Meeks, who was a volunteer at Sunday’s event and a transplant recipient, shared how donations helped save his life.
“Back in 2012, I was diagnosed with AML, which is the same thing that J has. I was give 30 days to live, so I was put in a hospital, started chemo, went into remission [and] they found a donor for me – which is highly unlikely because I’m mixed race,” Phillip Meeks said. “God was good, and I found a donor. It was through Be The Match. I’m very thankful and I try to give back as much as I can.”
The clinic was looking for donors between the ages of 18 to 40. Be The Match said younger donors tend to have the higher percentage of success for recipients.
“If you are able to do it, do it. You never know when you’re able to save a life. It’s painless. It’s not a reward, it just makes you feel like you’re doing something for somebody else that you possibly don’t know,” Karen Ellis, a donor, said.
If you missed the drive, but still want to become a donor, click here for more information.
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