Kristi, a doctoral student that underwent a bone marrow transplant last year, tipped me off that there was a bone marrow donor drive at the student union this afternoon, so Cristina and I strolled Bertrand over to sign up.
The process is remarkably easy, fast and painless. We just filled out some contact info forms, swabbed our cheeks four times and that was it. We'll be on the registry until we're 61 now. (We certainly don't ever plan on opting out.)
They were really excited to get Cristina on the registry, because Hispanics are highly underrepresented, giving them a lower probability for finding a match.
I wish I'd found out sooner so I could have spread the word, since the cost of the testing (normally $50) was covered by a grant. We're in touch with the Utah bone marrow folks now, so we'll know when the next one is ahead of time. We'll be sure to broadcast the next donor-registration drive in advance, so anyone that who would like to join can sign up.
Naturally, Bertrand charmed everyone.
Please let me know, I would like to help Bertrand and anyone else who is in need of Bone Marrow Transplant.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Mami