Priscilla Liu is a second-year PharmD candidate at the University of Kansas School of Pharmacy.
As I was deleting the 1,000+ emails on my phone, I came across an email from DKMS, an international nonprofit bone marrow donor center, that looked suspiciously like spam. The subject line read, “You’re a Match!” This seemed odd, but I clicked on the email and read what it had to say. I didn’t even remember signing up for the bone marrow donor registry, but I gave them a call in the middle of my IPPE community pharmacy rotation. After chatting with a representative from DKMS and Be The Match, I found out I had been in the registry since March of 2021.
In July, I began the process and filled out numerous pages of intake forms to see if I was the best fit for a stem cell donation to someone in need. I took part in several blood draws, physicals, and a few months of waiting around to see if I was going to be a primary donor. I initially thought I had been ghosted by my case manager at DKMS, but August rolled around, and I finally received a phone call informing me that I was the primary donor for an older patient with myelodysplastic syndromes. I was extremely excited, but also nervous.
The procedure
My donation was scheduled for late September, and I had to travel to Dallas for the peripheral blood stem cell procedure. During the 4 days leading up to the procedure, I had to drink 16 ounces of water every waking hour (over 2 gallons of water each day), give myself 2 injections of filgrastim daily, take my vital signs, and take calcium supplements. All these measures were to ensure the procedure would go smoothly and reduce adverse effects for myself.
During the procedure, I sat in a recliner while a large needle in my left arm collected my blood. There was also a slightly inflated blood pressure cuff attached to that arm while I held and occasionally squeezed a stress ball. I was told several times to not move my left arm or else we would have to start over and I would have to be re-stuck. My blood was filtered out into a machine that collected blood-forming cells and returned into an I.V. in my right hand.
Although I did experience common adverse effects like nausea, muscle and joint weakness, and intense headaches, I am so happy that I was able to help save someone’s life. I even got to hold the product after we were finished!
For the next few months, I will have weekly phone calls with my case manager from DKMS to make sure I am doing well after the procedure. I will also receive reimbursement for all the expenses incurred during the trip to Dallas. I have written anonymous letters to the recipient of my stem cells and after a year, I can share my contact information with them. In the meantime, I don’t have any procedures or physical checkups, but if there are any complications during the procedure, I may be asked to donate my stem cells again.
Everyone deserves a second chance
There were several times when I wanted to back out because I was stressed about missing classes, exams, and work. I also worried about the procedure itself and the injections, but I really had to focus on why I signed up as a donor in the first place. I signed up because I believe that every person deserves a second chance at life. My father passed away a few years ago from colon cancer, and I realized that if there were an opportunity like this to save him, I would’ve signed up in a heartbeat.
A large part of my motivation to go into pharmacy is to help others in every way that I can. I signed up for the registry to stay true to myself and continue to help others in every way possible. It hasn’t been easy juggling work, my second year as a student pharmacist, a leadership position within my APhA–ASP Chapter, and my stem cell donation, and it would not have been possible without the love and support from my friends, family, and peers.
I hope you consider signing up for the National Bone Marrow Donor Registry after learning about my donation journey. Thank you for letting me share my story!