Bone Marrow Doner

Hi Nicola115

You should ask her team regarding donor cells, I think it all depends on what type of transplant your mum may or may not require. The clinical team will be able to Inform you if you can be tested for a match as and when they feel it may be necessary.

Hope all goes well 

Nick

Hi again Nicola  although you say being a Bone Marrow donor her team will be looking for a Stem Cell Donor - this is basically the same but the developments in how the cells are harvested it is now taken from the blood but consultants will still talk about Bone Marrow Transplant.

You just need to talk with her medical team as it’s only a blood test to check if you are a match........ but donors do need to be healthy with no underlying health conditions.

We are here to help as best as we can ((hugs))

Thank you so much for replying I will ask them the next steps x

Thank you, you really have been amazing in replying it really means alot xx

No problem, happy to help.

Just spoken with my wife who has AML but in full remission thank god. We got a match from her sister, but luckily wasn't needed. I do remember however that we were told siblings are better suited as opposed to sons and daughters, however it may not be the case in all cases. As said, speak to the clinical team looking after your mum, they will know what's best.

Nick

Siblings tend to be the best matches because they come from the same people, whereas sons/daughters are obviously only 50%. But I’m fairly certain some people on here have explored these type of matches, so definitely mention it to the medical team to see what might be possible

Hope this helps and wishing you all the very best.

Greg

My brother came back as a 10/10 Stem Cell match.

Regardless of the type of blood cancer the Allo SCT process is basically the same. 

Use strong Conditioning (chemo/radiotherapy) to kill off all the blood cells in the bone marrow.

Once all the blood counts are at 0 the new Donor Stem Cells are put in just like having a blood transfusion……. then the long wait for the ‘all new’ bone marrow to grow. It’s basically giving the bone marrow a jest wash and restarting it.

The process is done in a dedicated SCT Unit where extra care is taken so that no bugs can get near the patient - SCT units across the country will be different, but in my unit I was confined to my own room once my counts were at 0 and during the regeneration time. For both my SCTs I was in the unit for about 4 weeks…… in isolation for about 12 days after Allo SCT number 1 and about 18 days isolation after Allo SCT number 2.

An Allo SCT can be seen as being like major surgery without the blood, it can be very hard work, it does have its dangers due to the severity of the treatment and can leave some folks with long lasting medical side effects…… but it is all a balance with regards to long term quality and quantity of life and for me, back in 2014 it was the only way for me to live.

This is some great information produced by Anthony Nolan

Hi, sometimes family members just aren’t a close enough match. My hubs and I are actually something like 3rd cousins once removed (same as the Queen and Prince Philip) but our two kids were not close enough a match for son to be daughters donor. She had a well matched unrelated donor. They want a score out of 10, her donor was so close they called it 12/10! But blood group was the furthest apart any could be, she went from O Rh- to A Rh+

hugs xxx

Good morning Nicola, they will be looking for a donor from the register with an ideal match. As people have said they will test close relatives anyway. Both my sisters were tested and one had no match and the other my identical twin was too much of a match.

If you want to register to be a Bone marrow donor for others too, The Anthony Nolan trust will point you in the right direction.

Best Wishes 

jackie

Hi Nicola, this site kept me sane during my SCT 6 years ago :-)

jackie