Giving Back: Why I've decided to be a bone marrow donor?

One day as I was scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed I came upon THIS link that one of my friends  had posted. After clicking on the link and watching the heartfelt video I broke down crying and once I composed myself I began thinking about how horrible it would be if I was in the same position. I would hate to find out that someone in my family or one of my friends had only 2 months to live and they could be saved if we were able to find a donor. This seriously woke me up and I realized that although I might not be the perfect match for Janet Liang I might be a match for someone else's child, friend, family member, or loved one. My parents have ingrained in me their motto which is, "Haz el bien sin ver a quien" roughly translated to "Do good without seeing to whom."

Right after watching the video I headed out to a local drive that I found through Be the Match but unfortunately the drive ended before I was able to get there. I ended up ordering a kit from Be the Match which I received about two weeks later and today I will be sending it off. Both my parents and the hubby have their reservations about me become a donor but when I began to explain to them why I was doing it they felt more at ease.

The kit comes with great instructions and it is very easy to use.  All you have to do is swab the inside of your cheek four times and send it back.  It takes about two months to process everything and that's it.  Once you have registered you will be in a system and if they ever find a match they will call you up.

I've decided to share this story with all of you guys since I believe that the more people hear about it the more people might actually go register. I believe we are all connected to each other and we need to stop being so selfish. If you can't or don't want to go register then share this with everyone you know someone might be touched enough to go do the same thing.

For more information on Donating Bone Marrow please visit BE THE MATCH

For more information on Janet Liang please visit HELPING JANET

"REMEMBER 10,000 PATIENTS NEED BONE MARROW TRANSPLANTS HALF RECEIVE ONE" -Be the Match


Update 4/2/12


I got an email a couple of weeks ago saying they finally received my kit.  It will take about a couple of months to put me in the system.