Recently i read about this person's personal experience as a bone marrow donor. His kindness had saved the life of a luekemia patient, whom he doesn't even know. Due to moral considerations and confidentiality, the hospital would not reveal the name of both the patient and bone marrow donor. Therefore, the donor would never know who is the person he saved, neither would the patient know who is the one donated bone marrow to him.

But what inspiring more is the courage of the donor, as bone marrow transplant post a risk to the safety of the donor's life. Even despite the side effects like body ache, vommiting and general body discomfort after a bone marrow transplant, the donor said that he would still donate if there's another chance of saving life.

So touched right? so i continue to read the article and found out that there's this Bone Marrow Donor Programme (BMDP) in Singapore which actively recruiting potential bone marrow donors, what we can do to save the life of a blood-diseased patient is just to register and have blood test done for HLA tissue typing.

HLA stands for Human Leukocyte Antigens. Just as red blood cells have A, B and O types, leukocytes have HLA types and the success of a transplant depends mainly on HLA matching. There are tens of thousands of patterns of HLA types.

Next week i'm goin NUH to register for it, ha, anyone of u interested to go do let me know oh. Here are some FAQs for bone marrow transplant:

you can find out more via this website too:http://www.bmdp.org/

Q: WHAT IS BONE MARROW?
A: Bone marrow is found in the cavities of our bones. It is a substance resembling blood that produces the body’s blood cells, platelets and white blood cells – the main components of the body’s immune system.

Q: DO I HAVE TO PAY FOR ANY EXPENSES?

A: All medical expenses relating to the bone marrow donation will be borne by the patient. You, as the donor, will be given medical leave for adequate rest following the donation. Throughout the whole process, you will be assigned a BMDP staff or volunteer who will be there on hand to render any assistance required.

Q: ARE THERE ANY RISKS OR SIDE EFFECTS?

A: Other than the remote chance of a reaction to anaesthesia or an infection, the risks to bone marrow harvest are minimal. Donors generally feel no pain during the bone marrow harvest as they are under general anaesthesia. After the procedure, there may be slight discomfort in the lower back lasting a few days, which is much like a muscle ache or similar to pain felt on the tailbone after a fall. With the stem cell harvest, donors might experience some flu-like symptoms, slight bone pain, or a feeling of heaviness during the injections. These discomforts usually disappear soon after the collection is completed.

Q: WHAT EXACTLY IS A MARROW / STEM CELL TRANSPLANT?

A: It is the replacement of diseased marrow with marrow from a healthy donor, infused into a patient's vein just like a blood transfusion. Within two to three weeks, the transplanted marrow/stem cells begin to produce normal blood cells in the platelet.

Q: WHEN DO I BECOME A BONE MARROW DONOR?

A: Your tissue type has to match perfectly with that of the patient’s. The odds vary widely, depending on the rarity of the patient’s tissue type. This means that you may never be called upon, even as a preliminary match. However, once you are identified as a compatible donor, you may be the only person who can provide the life-saving bone marrow to that patient.

Q: HOW IS BONE MARROW COLLECTED FROM A DONOR?

A: Upon identification as a compatible match, the donor will be counselled before undergoing a thorough medical examination to ascertain his or her fitness level. Currently, there are two standard methods to harvest the bone marrow. Method 1. Bone Marrow Harvest The bone marrow is removed from the back of the pelvic bone using a special needle and syringe. The entire process takes 45 to 60 minutes whilst the donor is under general anaesthesia. Though there is no surgery involved, an overnight rest in the hospital is recommended. The amount of bone marrow harvested is less than 5% of the body’s marrow and this is naturally regenerated within a few weeks. Method 2. Stem Cell Harvest (Most current and common method) Stem cells are really the blood cells found in the bone marrow. The donor will be given a series of G-CSF (Granulocyte-Colony Stimulating Factor) injections to stimulate the growth of their stem cells and to mobilize them into the blood stream. A few days later, the stem cells will be collected as part of a blood donation procedure. Donations can be done in an outpatient setting as the procedure takes approximately three to five hours.