Bone Marrow Tweet Up

On April 27th, 2012 after 7pm standard eastern time we are hosting a tweet up on twitter to educate and encourage people to join the Bone Marrow Registry.

Why? You ask? Fewer than 30 per cent of patients who need stem cell transplants find a compatible donor within their own family. The rest rely on those who have volunteered to donate stem cells to anyone in need.

What is a tweet up? Using twitter and hashtag #SwabUp and/or #MarrowMatch we will educate, share stories and spread the word about the importance of signing up for the registry.

In Canada all the information can be found HERE

In the US all the information can be found HERE

Myths & Facts about Bone Marrow Donation

MYTH:

All bone marrow donations involve surgery. FACT:

The majority of donations do not involve surgery. Today, the patient's doctor most often requests a peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) donation, which is non-surgical. The second way of donating is marrow donation, which is a surgical procedure. In each case, donors typically go home the same day they donate.

MYTH: Donating is painful and involves a long recovery.

FACT: There can be uncomfortable but short-lived side effects of donating PBSC. Due to taking a drug called filgrastim for five days leading up to donation, PBSC donors may have headaches, joint or muscle aches, or fatigue. PBSC donors are typically back to their normal routine in one to two days. Those donating marrow receive general or regional anesthesia, so they feel no pain during donation. Marrow donors can expect to feel some soreness in their lower back for one to two weeks afterward. Most marrow donors are back to their normal activities in two to seven days.

MYTH: Donating is dangerous and weakens the donor.

FACT: Though no medical procedure is without risk, there are rarely any long-term side effects. Be The Match® carefully prescreens all donors to ensure they are healthy and the procedure is safe for them. We also provide support and information every step of the way. Because only five percent or less of a donor's marrow is needed to save the patient's life, the donor's immune system stays strong and the cells replace themselves within four to six weeks.

MYTH: In bone marrow donation, pieces of bone are removed from the donor.

FACT: No pieces of bone are taken during marrow donation. Only the liquid marrow found inside the pelvic bone is needed to save the patient's life.

MYTH: Donors have to pay to donate.

FACT: Donors never pay to donate. We reimburse travel costs and may reimburse other costs on a case-by-case basis.

I hope to see you all at the tweet up! I'm @stephanieruns on twitter. Hashtag #SwabUp #MarrowMatch

Have I gone Insane?

It's been a while...I know. After my half marathon I started getting knee pain during and after running. It took me a while to admit that I trained to hard for my half marathon and over training caused me to get injured. I'm still recovering from my half marathon. Icing, taping, using a soft brace for my knee. As a runner it's hard to stop. Running is much like smoking, an addition, a need, a part of you. Which is why I decided I needed it to play a bigger role in my life. I signed up with team in training to run the Scotiabank marathon October 14th, 2012. Now I still need to be medically cleared to run that distance, but I'm confident I can always drop down to the half. You know just 21.1km, no big deal!

This time I've decided to cream a team of runners to do this with me. Together we will raise money for Leukemia and Lymphoma and push our bodies in ways we didn't know was possible. I've had seven people say yes to the team, and two are confirmed and signed up.

I'm bringing back this blog, to share my journey, fundraising, struggles and successes with you.

It won't always be smooth sailing, but what in life is?

Here's my fundraising page link. Feel free to show your support!