With a much sought after blood type,
my daughter was a regular blood donor from HS, on.
Unbeknownst to me,
as a college sophomore,
she registered as a Bone Marrow Donor
during a blood donation at a local blood bank.
Fast forward 17 years and one random phone call later.
Today, my daughter is donating her beefed up stem cells
in a last ditch attempt
to save the life of an anonymous recipient,
not much older than her,
battling a rapidly progressive form of leukemia.
This is the third attempt.
While prepping for the donation two times previously,
the recipient became too sick to go through with it.
As soon as he went into remission this time,
they wasted no time.
Let's hope the third time's a charm!
It hasn't been a pleasant experience.
She has been quite sick all week,
after receiving injections every day to stimulate her stem cells.
But, bless her heart,
she knows that one week out of her life
could very possibly mean
the difference between life and death for another.
She'll kill me if I post the picture of her
all hooked up,
so...
She'll kill me if I post the picture of her
all hooked up,
so...
She who hugs and kisses whales,
also saves lives.
Heck, I'm going to go for it...
...if her beau can post this picture on FB,
then her mom can put it on her blog.
She's trying to smile, but I can see she's not
too sure about what's she's gotten herself into!
Both arms are hooked up to the machine,
but one is covered. It's probably chilly in there.
I'm so proud.
For more information about becoming a donor,
please visit Be The Match
today.
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44 comments:
oh, bless her!!! and bless that young man with strength and fight and HEALTH!
Your daughter is an incredible woman with a clear view of life and the Big Picture. We wish the best for both her and the young man. She is donating inner strength along with her bone marrow! Our best to all.
I'm so touched by this...tell her thank you and that I think she is a super hero!
that is just spectacular!! I hope all goes well and like you say this is one week of her life and maybe a little more of the following week and she will be well - good luck to the young man she is helping out.
How wonderful and selfless. No wonder you are proud. All the best to all concernd.
You have good reason to be proud of her. I'm not sure I could do that.
Blessings on your daughter and fast healing for her and the young man she is sharing life with. What a wonderful gift she is giving. You raised a fine young lady.
She is a true hero. Hope it is successful and send her virtual hugs from us all! I can see why you are so proud of her!
definitely a hero girl.... well done - a very special thing to do...
Hugz
Bless her heart, I really hope its a success! She's a brave young woman!
Oh what a wonderful young lady.. Give her a huge hug form down under.....
If you want to post a picture of your daughter, you go ahead and do it, cause this is the most awesome thing I've seen all day. I hope it successful for everyone involved.
How many years did it take for them to use her as a match, you said she signed up at 17?
What a kind, selfless act! Sending positive thoughts and cyber hugs her way. You have a right to be proud of her!
What a fantastic lady - I hope all goes well. xx
Indeed you should be proud , she is a true hero and I pray her efforts are successful for this young person . God Bless her and you too for raising such a wonderful thoughtful young lady!! Hugs Sheila
She is amazing....
Your daughter is now my hero too and I know you are so very proud of her. I also wish the person the very best and hope this treatment works. Your daughter is an amazing young lady.
Wow, you have a good reason to be so proud of your daughter.. She is a hero.. I hope all goes well for the recipient.. And I hope your daughter is feeling better. What a great story..Happy weekend!
Karen .. You are right to be proud of your selfless, caring daughter.
Fingers crossed that its 3rd time lucky for all involved.
God bless her selfless heart... and her mother too. Praying this works and that the recipient will not only survive, but thrive with these new stem cells!
What an awesome gift. Your daughter is definitely a hero. May the third time be the charm.
You have every right to be so proud Karen, what an amazing gift she is giving. I hope it goes well for everyone.
She is much braver than me!! Bless her and the other young person--
I did get brave and when I got my photo ID this last year--at the age of 66, I did sign up to be an organ donor--so there is hope that we can all get braver!!!
Wow! how generous of your daughter. She is a hero and I see you are very proud! Hope all goes well for the recipient.
What an awesome person your daughter is! Now that's what I call a hero! I am hoping for the best for all involved.
You have every right to be proud. Not a lot of people would do this - and I am so thankful for those who do. blessings, marlene
Oh Karen! You should be proud!!! What a delight to know you have raised a child who has a heart for her fellow man and is willing to endure a little discomfort to make such a difference in someone else's life - and someone she doesn't even know too!!! Praying that she will quickly recover from the side effects, and that the patient will be able to take the treatment and life a long, happy life :)
I love this...she was well raised
Give her gentle hugs from Texas. What a wonderful daughter you raised!
That is such a courageous thing to do. May the life she saves be lived well.
Thank you all for the kind words. When I was contacted by Be The Match this summer, I had no doubt that I would donate if I was indeed the best match! And, I would do it again if given the opportunity.
24 hours after the process ended, I was feeling 100% again. Only a few bruises from the IVs remain.
After the transplant, the recipient will take on attributes from my body, such as my blood type and my immune system. I was told that recipients of PBSC donations have a 90% chance at recovery. He will have recovery milestones to hit, with the biggest being 100 Days. At 100 Days, they will know whether or not his body has fully accepted my cells and is successfully producing his own and is on his way to recovery.
Please help me and the Be The Match organization create awareness about this amazing and life-saving procedure! Join the registry by ordering a kit online. Share my story through mom's blog with your friends and family and encourage them to join the registry. More information is available at www.bethematch.org.
Just proves if one person can make a difference to one person what a changed world we would have, brave girl you have, obviously gets it from someone... Mom perhaps.
Bless. Her. Heart. What a proud mum you must be - and what a testimony to YOU, who raised her!
You must be totally proud of your daughter! She is very brave! It is a great burden on her body as well and she has made a very loving sacrifice. God bless her!
You have every right to be proud of your daughter! She's doing an extremely generous thing. I'm terribly impressed. And you should also be proud of yourself for raising such a fine, conscious young woman. Her fella is definitely getting a special wife!
What a wonderful daughter, dear Karen!
I hope all goes well ♥♥♥
Warm hugs
Deborah
You should be very proud of her, I hear it is very painful....
Karen, your Daughter is a beautiful, caring and incredible young Lady.
What a precious gift your daughter gave to that young man!! Here's hoping that he has a full recovery.
God bless your precious daughter Karen.Hugs O'faigh
What a sweet, sweet girl. Thank you for sharing this uplifting story.
KaHolly, you have an amazing daughter! Brava to her!
P.S. I would love to kiss a whale!
What an amazing thing to do....you raised a wonderful human being !
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