Ridhi Patel - Marrow Donor
The first time I heard about donating bone marrow was at a student talent show in the spring of 2004. Dr. Vijay Mehta was promoting registering in the South Asian community.
The following week I went to the drive with a friend to register. "Why not?" was what I was thinking. Registration only required five drops of blood; there was a 1 in 100,000 chance of matching anyone in a given lifetime, and even if someone does match, they have the right to say no. There was no harm in just registering.
To my surprise, I received a call that following December. I was a potential match for a six year old boy suffering from leukemia. My initial reaction was shear shock; "Did I really match someone?" "Would I be able to save another human beings life?" The aftermath was that there was a chance that I wouldn't match. This would mean that there was someone out there who may pass. His and his family's hopes would be bashed. I did the required blood work and awaited my duties.
A month later I still had no response from the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) regarding further use of me and my marrow. I had pushed it aside and decided that luckily, the little boy was feeling better and was not in need any longer. Not until March did I get a phone call that informed me that operation plans were in order. Since I was in school we decided to have the surgery pushed to the first week of May. I did my physical and more blood work between then while still in school. After my last final, I went home to San Antonio and the next morning I was to undergo surgery. The night before, I could not sleep at all. I was scared, anxious, excited, happy, and nervous at the same time. I just wanted nothing to go wrong, but I couldn't stop myself from having thoughts of mistakes during the operation or the boy's body not receiving the marrow healthily. Even driving to the hospital, I was very nervous about the entire procedure.
When I woke from surgery, everything felt fine. The operation ended within an hour and I wasn't in as much pain as I thought I would be. I had heard horror stories about how painful this operation could be. I was a little sore, but it was the same kind of sore as working out too much; it was just in my back instead of my quads. Within three days I was off of my medication and I even made it to my sister's graduation in Waco .
I sat for an actuarial exam two weeks later and a week after that, I started my internship. By the end of June, I was exercising to the same capacity as I had that spring. After the operation, I tried to write about my experiences, but would just end up crying. There was still uncertainty on my part for whether or not the boy had recovered. A month after surgery, we had heard he took the marrow perfectly, but there was still doubt. I was so worried about him recovering quickly and returning to a regular childhood.
A year later, I finally received his contact information, but before I could call or email the boy and his family, his father called me. We spent an hour on the phone sharing stories and tears. The boy had fully recovered within weeks of the donation and was healthy and laughing on his 7 th birthday. His father was extremely gratified and could not stop thanking me and God for "giving life." Talking to the boy and his family was a very humbling experience. And through the help of the South Texas Blood & Tissue Center and their work with the NMDP, I was able to meet the boy and his family in the fall of 2006. He was shy, and understandably so; I can not imagine going through what he did at such a young age. It was a very surreal moment knowing that the child standing before you is here because of a small piece of your body, a piece that has regenerated in him and you at the same time.
Being the match for this now 11 year old boy is something I'll never forget; I'm grateful that I registered when I did and went through this amazing experience. The rewards far exceeded the time and discomfort of the operation.