CF Members signing up for Canadian Blood Services' OneMatch Bone Marrow Registry

[Deleted member 28249]

I am interested in signing up as a potential donor for the OneMatch stem cell and bone marrow registry.  However, I am not sure whether there is a standing policy regarding donation.  I had a quick look at the different admin orders and didn't see anything, however I could have easily missed it.

Are there any medical personnel here who could answer this definitively for me?  I'm not sure if this is something commonly inquired about or not.

Cheers.

 

[AJFitzpatrick]

As a prior donor I would encourage everyone to place themselves on the registry

It isn't all that big of a deal to donate bone marrow.

Details if you want. PM me

 

[dapaterson]

CF policy is well articulated in CMP instruction 10-04, online at http://www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/pd/pi-ip/10-04-eng.asp .

(Edit since punctuation threw off the board - thanks, Moe)

 

[PMedMoe]

Link:  "HTTP Error 404 -Page Not Found"

Is this one better?

http://www.cmp-cpm.forces.gc.ca/pd/pi-ip/10-04-eng.asp

 

[Deleted member 28249]

Exactly what I was looking for.  Thank you everyone. 

 

[Deleted member 28249]

Just out of curiosity, does anyone know a CF member who has donated marrow in the past?  I realize that the statement of understanding is essentially a catch-all so that one couldn't try to blame the CF if something went wrong during a procedure and were forced to take a medical release, however from my limited understanding bone marrow donation seems to be a fairly safe procedure.  Other than the possibility of a complication from anesthesia, it seems like there are very few risks that could result in deployment/career limitations.

It's a tough call.  On one hand I wouldn't want to compromise my career, on the other it seems like most people who have to resort to getting marrow from the registry are basically FUBAR'd unless they get the transplant.

 

[dapaterson]

You can ask questions through the staff at OneMatch; they should have information on complications, frequency, and possibility of being called.  There are thousands of people on the Registry who will never be called; others who will get a call, go for detailed bone marrow typing (it's much more complex than blood, where you're A, B, AB or O), then have another person selected as a better match for the patient.

 

[a78jumper]

I do not know of any CF donors, but my late  Air Force bro in law received his brother`s marrow twice and also stem cells twice before he finally passed on from untreatable leukaemia in 2003.  Ken`s donations were somewhat painful but routine-he stayed with me twice in Ottawa while giving a gift of life to his brother. Mike`s life post 1990 was a trial, but he did see his children into their teens; he very nearly died while posted to the the UK. I was there, not pleasant.

I have been on the marrow donation list because of that since 1990 when Mike first took ill and would have donated in a minute if someone needed it-the procedure is akin to giving blood IMHO and if the CF objected, tuff. Can you imagine the fallout if one was prohibited from doing so-you would potentially  be condemning a person desparately ill to death. Would make one fine newspaper article. I have not been asked in 19 years but in the interim have donated blood almost 100 times; blood products kept my bro in law alive when his own system could not produce any on its own.

 

[Deleted member 28249]

Again, thank you for your input everyone.  It has been most helpful.

I sent my DNA samples to Ottawa a few days ago for processing and registration.