pbsc

12/8/11: I joined the bone marrow registry
12/20/12: I was contacted as a possible match for a man
1/2/13: I donated blood for HLA typing, which is to see if the 6 proteins on the surface of my white blood cells match his
3/5/13: We were confirmed as a match

• Thank you for participating in additional testing to confirm if you are the best marrow match for the patient. The results of your testing indicate you and the patient are a suitable match; however, the patient is not ready for a transplant at this time.

3/12/14: I was called today and requested to donate stem cells via PBSC in April. Currently trying to work out of it would be possible to postpone by a few weeks and do this after graduation.

• PBSC donation  is a non-surgical procedure. For 5 days leading up to donation, you will be given injections of filgrastim. Filgrastim is a medication that increases the number of blood-forming cells in your bloodstream. On the day of donation, blood is removed through a needle on one arm and passed through a machine that separates out the blood-forming cells. The remaining blood is returned to you through the other arm.