Be The Match

After a month or so of thinking,  researching and contemplating (repeated 100xs), I've decided to do something that's kind of a big deal. Here it goes...

As of today, I'm officially on the Be The Match registry. Well, I've officially signed up at least. I'll be receiving a kit in the mail in about 2 weeks that I need to send back,  then after that I'll be on the registry. But im half way there.

For anyone who doesn't know what Be The Match is, it's an organization that matches up hospital patients facing death in the near future with a second chance at living. It connects those patients with volunteers willing to donate bone marrow in order to (hopefully) save their life.

Yes, I said bone marrow. I've looked into this long and hard and im determined this is something I want to do. Trust me, I did ample research. I cried in fear the first day I started seriously thinking about it, I looked up pictures of the huge hollow needles they stick in your bone, and I read stories about how signing up and backing out at last minute can be a devastating move for the patient and patients loved ones. I realize what I'm signing up for....

I'm signing up to potentially save someone's life: someone's child, someone's spouse, someone's parent, someone's sibling. And all fear aside, im fully hoping that I get the chance to do this.

Let me try to explain how it works. I'll be in the system/registry until I'm the closest match for a patient. This step could take 6 months, 40 years or it could never happen. If that moment comes, they will call me to see if I'm still willing/able to donate. Then begins the weeks and weeks and weeks of testing to be sure that I truly am a match. If in fact I am, then the patients doctor decides what type of donation process would lead to the best results. Either the well known surgical kind, or through a process similar to a blood donation (just to a much higher scale). Then we set up a date and I head to a hospital. A few days later I'll be healed and back to normal again.

And hopefully someone's life will get to continue.

When I was in high school I remember filling out one of those popular question and answer quiz things. You know, those useless things for you to post on MySpace or Xanga to let your friends know random stuff about you. Well I remember filling one out based around the topic '' things you want to do before you die ''. I specifically remember that '' save someone's life'' was one of my answers. I didn't know how or even if it was possible,  but I knew I wanted to. I also remember my sister laughing at me '' You want to save someone's life?!? Haha Ok Tiff... You do that. '' (or something along those lines. I know, I was embarrassed for thinking it was possible lol). But just recently I started thinking about donating blood marrow and about how I can make one of my wants come true.

I'm seriously hoping I get a phone call from them. I'm not expecting it anytime soon, but I will cry both scared and happy tears of I ever do.

Until next time,
Tiffany < 3