Im in the South East Coast* with Jeff. Last night we went to a Chinese Hot Pot restaurant which was really good. It was not just the conveyor belt plates of ingredients that wound it's way through the restaurant. They also had a dipping sauce bar where you could mix and match to your taste's delight. When you think about it, there really isn't much to it, boiling water flavored to your liking, no one serving you as you sit there and grab the plates as they trundle by. But the idea that I traveled to the west coast of ***** to eat Chinese cuisine is a little odd. Oh, I did have quail eggs for the first time but passed on the frog legs.
This blog started when Jeff injured his back years ago. It was my way of updating his condition and gave me an outlet to express what I usually don't verbally. This time it is under better circumstances.
Years ago someone we knew had a son who died of Leukemia. During his illness, they had a Bone Marrow drive for the Asians for Miracle Marrow Matches otherwise known as A3M. We all signed up at the time, it was probably in the 90s. As you might be aware, it matches up possible donors through DNA analysis.
Jeff was contacted about a year ago on the possibility of matching someone. It took this long for it to actually occur. Both he and the recipient traveled to ***** to have the procedure done. There are two methods of donation. One is through drawing blood, and the other extracting marrow from the hip bone. The procedure is not long, but requires being under anesthesia. The recovery is more the problem as it will take a month for the marrow to regenerate and it is a bit painful. The marrow must be used within 72 hrs.
The sponsoring organization BeTheMatch is paying for his trip, lodging, meals, transportation and a relative to accompany him. I flew in from LA, He from Dallas on Weds. The procedure was this morning (Thurs.) and was discharged by 3pm. We are both flying back to Dallas on Friday.
In essence, Jeff is giving someone unknown to him a chance to recover from the disease. That person remains anonymous. Later on, that person may wish to meet him. Im still not sure what the success rate is, but I am guessing it is not high. There are many difficult issues to conquer in the treatment including rejection, and infection. For Jeff, it is more the risk of infection.
For more information on the program:
You can find more details on a YouTube Ted Talk :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Qfmkd6C8u8
It talks about the blood draw, but basic info explains the process.
A3M Asians for Miracle Marrow Matches: https://www.a3mhope.org
Be The Match: BeTheMatch.org
* I later found out that we are not supposed to reveal the location of where the procedure was done due to confidentiality considerations.
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