I never answer calls from unknown numbers.
But for some reason, last October, I did.
Ten years later, being a match wasn’t just an abstract ideaI was a match.
Rodrigo Oliveira
I felt excited, but more than anything I felt honored.
Bone marrow transplants are typically reserved for pediatric patients, whereas PBSC are used for adults.
All I knew about my match is that they were an adult.
Even this vague detail made the hypothetical real: I could really save a life.
I couldn’t back out now, and the pain didnt matter in that case.
Its really a waiting game, she tells me over Zoom.
Either we find a donor or science catches up and we find a new treatment that gets approved.
Finding a match often is harder for people of color than for those who are white.
Whats more, roughly 70% of patients wont have a match in their families.
Of course, the answer was yes.
I was instructed to get plenty of sleep and to eat a big breakfast before donation.
By the end of the day I was tired and excited to go to sleep early.
NMDP will then connect us if we both express the desire to meet.
Personally, Id love to meet them, but I also completely understand if they dont feel the same.
