Why a transplant and what does it involve?
Phillip has been told by his doctors that the best chance of a cure is a bone marrow or stem cell transplant. He is currently in remission and should be in remission for at least a year or 2. It is during this time that he needs a transplant, when his body is free of the disorder and he is at his fittest.
We are hopeful that a match will come from his brother or sister but the reality is that only one in three patients will find a match from family members. The other two rely on the Australian Bone Marrow Donor Register (AMBDR) to try and find one for them.
There is a very small chance of being asked to donate only 1in 1000 will be asked to donote for a patient transplant each year.
The word transplant conjures up images of major surgery and long recovery time. This is not the case for either a bone marrow or a stem cell transplant. The risks for donating bone marrow are the same as with any general anaesthetic. In fact after donation the donor often goes home the next day and can do normal activities after two or three days. Stem cell transplantation only takes about 3-4 hours and no anaesthetic is required.
Often it is due to a family member or friend becoming diagnosed with a life threatening blood disorder that people decide to give blood and join the register. My wife Clare has become a blood donor and joined the register. If we can help some other family through this we would feel proud.
Please consider joining the register and talk about it with your family and friends. The website for further information is http://www.abmdr.org.au/index.php?id=36, you can join when you next donate blood.
Please help save a life.