We can all help save lives by first helping First Aid , but also by volunteering to donate bone marrow.
An additional guarantee of healing for patients who, unfortunately, have trouble attracting donors. However, this practice is not as painful or compelling as we think ...
The marrow, indispensable to life
Do not confuse spinal cord and bone marrow. The first, consisting of nervous tissue, is housed in the heart of the spine. It allows communication between the brain and the rest of the body. Bone marrow has nothing to do. Composed of fatty tissue, it is mostly located in flat bones, including the sternum, ribs and pelvic bone.
His mission ? Ensure the production and renewal of blood cells: red blood cells that carry oxygen, white blood cells that fight infections and platelets that stop bleeding. Healthy bone marrow produces more than 300 billion blood cells a day. When it can no longer perform this role, the health capital is seriously damaged.
Thousands of patients waiting
When drugs are not - or more - effective, only a transplant can supply the injured marrow. But it is still necessary to find a compatible donor . Each of us has a precise biological identity card. If that of the donor and that of the recipient are not similar, the immune defenses do not support it and reject the transplant. To find a compatible donor, the ideal is of course to call on a member of the family.
"Between brothers and sisters, the chances of compatibility are one in four, according to the Biomedicine Agency, but between unrelated individuals, the probability is only 1 in a million"! The more volunteers there are, the more the number of patients saved can be important.
Who can benefit from bone marrow donation?
Different diseases may require the use of marrow donation. Patients suffering from leukemia (cancer of the blood) are the main ones concerned: they represent nearly 54% of indications of marrow transplants. Bubble children, whose immune systems are deficient in the first months of life, also have a vital need for them. For them, no other treatment is possible.
Some people suffering from a rare disease, such as Fanconi anemia or bone marrow aplasia, also need a marrow transplant to heal. If donors were more numerous, more than 60% of them could be saved.
Becoming a donor is simple
The procedure is quick: just volunteer on the national register of marrow donors. An appointment is then set for a medical interview and a blood test to determine your biological identity card. If a compatible patient needs one day of your marrow, you will be able to participate in its healing. You will be notified at least four weeks in advance. The donation is anonymous and free. All possible expenses (transport, accommodation ...) are refunded.
Only requirements:
- To be in perfect health. Spinal cord donation is not allowed for people with heart disease, high blood pressure, respiratory conditions, history of cancer, neuromuscular disorders, angioedema, metabolic disorders (diabetes, liver failure), history of repeat phlebitis or pulmonary embolism, incapacitating thoracolumbar problems, diseases of the nervous system, risky sexual behavior, significant overweight and, more generally, long-term medication (except contraception).
- Be between 18 and 51 years old when registering.
How is the sample taking?
Contrary to popular belief, removal of bone marrow cells is safe. 75% is made in the blood, not directly in the bone. A few days before, the donor receives a medicine that puts marrow cells in the blood. These are then collected by blood collection, sorted using an apheresis machine and then injected into the patient (within 12 to 36 hours). The donor's marrow regenerates quickly, in about two days.
And when the marrow is sucked into the pelvic bone, the puncture is performed under general anesthesia, therefore without pain . One can be at most with a hematoma. There is no risk of paralysis.
To pre-register as a marrow donor: www.dondemoelleosseuse.fr
