First - a couple programming notes:
- I still haven't completed my review of last year's donations - I'm hoping to have that done soon.
- If you're looking for some counter-programming to "giving", please visit my friend Liz's wonderful blog - The Year of Taking. It's pretty much guaranteed to never make you cry (unless it's with laughter) and to always make you feel like a better person (unless you take more than she does).
OK, now for some giving.
Last week, I mentioned that I wanted to focus on ways to give time (not just money). Well, I didn't really find a way to donate my time this week, but I did join the National Marrow Donor Program - Be The Match. This means that one day I could potential donate marrow and I figure that would probably take some time.
It was very easy to register and I should be receiving a kit in the mail shortly for collecting my sample. I'll get to swab the inside of my cheek (like a real CSI). It'll be very exciting and I'll take pictures. There is no cost to join the registry, but I did donate $25 to help off set costs of collecting samples and to help pay for the uninsured costs of bone marrow transplants.
There are thousands of people with life-threatening blood cancers waiting for bone marrow transplants. The chances of me being a potential donor are slim, but maybe one day I can help.
P.S. (For Liz) I don't think you're allowed to register as a bone marrow recipient just so that you can take someone's marrow.
Do you have any idea how painful it is to donate bone marrow? Very. I saw a show about cancer one time and bone marrow donation is painful as is the actual process of having it implanted in your bones.
ReplyDeleteWhy would you offer to do something like for a perfect stranger who may or may not be a convicted felon? One time I looked into being a donor for a specific friend of mine who had cancer but you can only join the registry if you agree to donate your marrow to anyone who needs it...not just your friends. So, in the spirit of taking I didn't sign up.
Thanks for the shout out about my blog. I have only done 2 posts although I need to do another one because I took something from Roaring Fork last night. That's quite a cliffhanger isn't it...
Your cowardly friend,
Liz