Just a cotton swab of a few cells from inside the mouth and a nonsurgical procedure is all it takes today to donate bone marrow. That one swab can help save someone's life. Apparently, not everything you see on Grey's Anatomy is frightening.
Two years ago, Erin Corsini, A&S '09, participated in the Bone Marrow Drive held in honor of a young Boston College alum who lost his life to leukemia. This past summer, she was notified that she was a perfect match and was chosen. Patients who are matched are allowed to choose from among the selection of potential donors.
"When I got the call, I was a bit nervous because the bone marrow transplant required a surgical procedure," Corsini said. "But when I found out that I was one of seven who matched a 50-year-old woman, I felt compelled to because I thought that she could have been my own mother. It made me think that her kids could lose a life to their mother who could potentially be saved with a simple procedure. In the end, I am happy to help and felt obligated for more students to be on the registry so that they too can save someone one day."
This year, Corsini is heading the Bone Marrow Drive at BC in hopes that her fellow classmates will be future donors. It will take place on Nov. 27 in Gasson 100 from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. There is no fee and no need for an insurance card. Donor participants will be required to submit a questionnaire about demographics and will take a swab to collect cheek cells located inside the mouth. Walk-ins are welcome, but there will also be a sign-up list in McElroy on Nov. 14-15 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
There are approximately 35,000 patients with leukemia, aplastic anemia, Hodgkin's disease, and immune deficiency disorders per year that are awaiting bone marrow transplants. The bone marrow is a tissue found inside the bones that houses blood cell progenitors that are vital for the body. These are capable of differentiating into white blood cells, which fight infection, red blood cells, which provide the body's oxygen, and platelets, which enable the blood to clot so that cuts can heal.
Patients with leukemia awaiting bone marrow transplants, for instance, have an excessive amount of the immature white blood cells that will hinder the body's ability to fight infection and lead patients to be highly susceptible to bruising and easy bleeding.
But first, donor candidates must be tested so that doctors can compare the genetic make-up of the stem cells. Specifically, doctors are looking for the closest human leukocyte antigens (HLA) between the donor and the patient. HLA are proteins or markers found on most body cells. The immune system uses these markers to recognize which cells belong in the body and which do not. If there are two dissimilar HLA found, the patient's body will reject the new stem cells and severe complications will result.
"Donor candidates who are selected are not obligated to undergo the bone marrow transplant; there is now a nonsurgical procedure in which 80 percent of the bone marrow donors do choose," Corsini said.
Donors are notified when they are a suitable match and they can then undergo a non-surgical procedure. The bone marrow donation process includes a preparation period of four to five days prior to the procedure in which there is an administration of a medicine injection so that blood stem cells are drawn from the bone marrow into the blood stream.
When doctors conclude that there is an optimal amount of blood stem cells available, the doctors follow a process called apheresis, which involves a machine to collect the blood sample. During apheresis, blood is drawn from one arm, runs through the machine to filter the blood stem cells, and is returned to the other arm. Apheresis usually takes four to six hours and two to six sessions, depending on how much is required.
Some may still be hesitant, however, about the nonsurgical process being four to six hours.
"It is time well spent because you are doing something that no one else can do. Also, participating in the Bone Marrow Drive is a good idea because even if you don't get that one-in-a-million match to a person, you are contributing towards a person's recovery and survival," said Annie Filer, A&S '09.
Kristen Padulsky, CSON '08, recently underwent the non-surgical procedure for bone marrow transplant, and was willing to share her experience. "After the stem cell transplant, I did not have any long-time pain; once they took the IVs out, you feel the same as giving blood," she said.
The drive is also looking for a high turnout rate among AHANA students because there are groups of graduate law students who need to find a donor who is of Southeast Asian descent. Donors who are of the same race as the patient have a higher probability of having the same HLAs in their body.
According to the National Bone Marrow Drive program, African-Americans have only a 57 percent chance of finding a match, Pacific Islanders and Asians have a 74 percent chance, while Caucasians have an 87 percent chance. AHANA students are underrepresented in the 10 million people listed on the National Bone Marrow Registry.
"Finally, since bone marrow transplant is a medical procedure, having health concerns about your personal safety is valid, but taking time to save someone else's life should never be an issue," Padulsky said.
More information about the Bone Marrow Transplant procedures can be found at the University Health services or at www.marrow.org.
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