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chhabracadabra238 karma

It was like a regular blood draw. They stuck a tube in my left arm to take the blood, then it went through a machine, and then they put it back in my right arm. The needles are big but once they’re in it doesn’t hurt. You just can’t move much during the process (you do have some mobility in one of your arms). It can take up to 8 hours for them to get enough stem cells, but in my case it was about 6 hours because I had a very high stem cell count. They also inject you with something for 4 days before the donation to increase the production of stem cells in your bone marrow. It does cause some side effects like tiredness and pain in the joints, but it goes away a day after donation. They also do blood draws and physical exams a few times before the donation to make sure you’re a perfect match. Overall the process took a few weeks but I only took a day off from work on the day of the donation. They covered all expenses including plane tickets, meals, and hotels (they flew me out to a different city for the donation) and they also allow someone to travel with you (their expenses are covered too).

I didn’t think much about it, but I realized the impact my donation made when the patient wrote me that letter. I was a better match for them than their own brother. :)

chhabracadabra235 karma

I registered in college too and got asked to donate stem cells for someone a few months ago. I’m deathly afraid of needles too so I took it as a challenge to go through this process. Got a sweet letter from the patient (don’t know who they are or where they live due to privacy laws but I don’t care about that) after I donated and that alone was worth it. 10/10 would do it again.