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Becoming a Stem Cell Donor
Why Do Some Cancers Need Bone Marrow or Stem Cell Transplants?
What Are Stem Cells?
How Transplants Work
Who Can Be a Donor?
Thoughts From Teens Who Were Donors
What If I'm Asked To Be a Donor?
What If I'm Not a Match?
What happens during the transplant?
What If the Transplant Doesn't Work?
In the section on
Cancer Treatment we listed bone marrow transplantation (BMT) and
peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT) as possible
cancer treatments.
Only some children with cancer get these
treatments. If your sibling is going to receive one of them,
you may find it helpful to read this section. Otherwise, you
can skip it.
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Sometimes very high doses of chemo and/or radiation therapy
are used to treat cancer. These treatments destroy cancer cells
but also wipe out good cells, like stem cells.
Stem cells make the blood cells needed to carry oxygen to all the
parts of the body (red blood cells), fight infection (white blood
cells), and prevent bleeding (platelets). Most are found in the
bone marrow - the spongy material that fills the inside of bones.
Some are also found in the bloodstream.
Healthy stem cells collected from a brother or sister are
transplanted into the sibling with cancer. The stem cells travel
to the bone marrow and make new red blood cells, white blood
cells, and platelets. These new cells help your brother or sister
recover from the cancer treatments.
A stem cell donor can be a brother or sister or a
volunteer (from the National Marrow Donor Program®).
Stem cells can also be collected from the patient's own body
prior to cancer treatment and stored for later use.
Facts about donors:
- A donor is a person whose stem cells match those of the
person with cancer. Not everyone is a match.
- A patient's brother or sister is more likely to match than
someone who is not related.
- In one out of four cases, a brother or a sister is a good match.
- When no one in the family is a match, the medical team can
look for a volunteer donor from around the world.
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- "I was scared. No doubt about it - the thought of being a
donor made me nervous 'til I knew what was going to happen."
- "I didn't feel like I had a choice until my parents said it
was up to me to decide if I wanted to do this or not."
- "I felt my big brother and my whole family were counting
on me for this to work. I am glad that it did!"
If you agree to be a donor, the doctor will do a special blood test
to find out whether you are a match for your brother or sister. The
test will show whether your stem cells are a good match or not.
"I
was
so
disappointed
that
neither
my
sister
Heather
or
I
were
a
match
for
our
little
sister
Taylor
who
has
cancer.
No
one
blamed
us - but
it
was
still
hard.
Now
the
doctors
are
trying
to
find
a
match
from
other
donors."
- Caitlin,
age
13
You may be tested and find out that you are not a match.
You may feel disappointed or that you
are letting your brother or
sister down. It's important to
know that it's not your fault if
you are not a match. While it's
natural for your family to feel
down, no one should be upset
with you.
Don't be afraid to ask questions about anything that you don't
understand or feel comfortable about. Write down some of
your questions:
"The
doctor
told
me
I
was
a
match
for
my
brother
Chris.
My
mom
said
it
was
my
choice - I
did
not
have
to
be
a
donor
if
I
didn't
want
to.
But
even
though
I
was
kind
of
nervous,
I
wanted
to
do
it.
Chris's
doctor
met
with
us
to
explain
what
would
happen.
I
hope
this
will
help
my
brother."
- Amber,
age
15
"It didn't hurt as much as
I thought it would to be
Jada's donor. Before I knew
it, I was playing softball
again. My advice to other
kids who want to be donors is
to ask questions - lots of them.
It would have helped me to be
more prepared. I really didn't
know what to expect."
- Anthony, age 16
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For a bone marrow transplantation (BMT), the doctors
collect stem cells from your bone marrow. Before the doctor
collects the stem cells, you will get medicine to help you fall
asleep. Then the doctor will put a needle into your hip bone to
collect the bone marrow. You won't feel pain from the needle
because you will be asleep. Afterwards, you may be a little stiff
or sore for a couple of days at the place where the needle went in.
For a peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT),
the doctors collect stem cells from your blood. A doctor will take
blood from you, usually through a vein in your arm. Your blood
will go through a machine that removes the stem cells. Then your
blood is put back into you. The stem cells are stored and later
given to your sibling through a transfusion.
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"I
turned
out
to
be
a
match
for
my
brother
David.
The
bad
news
was
that
the
transplant
didn't
help
my
brother.
I
felt
like
I
had
really
let
him
down.
But
David
told
me
not
to
feel
bad
about
it.
He
told
me
how
much
it
meant
to
him
that
I
even
gave
it
a
try."
- Jason,
age
15
No one can guarantee that the transplant will make your sibling
get better, but the chance to help your brother or sister can be
very rewarding. It can help you feel more involved. However, it
can be difficult if the transplant doesn't work. Know that it
wasn't your fault. You did what you could, and
no one should blame you.
| What about other questions that I have? |
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Ask any questions that you have. Doctors, nurses, and social
workers can all help you. So can your parents. Your family can
also get more information from the National Marrow Donor
Program®. It is an organization that keeps a list of volunteer
donors and transplant centers. Call 1-800-MARROW-2
(1-800-627-7692) or go to http://www.marrow.org.
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