{"id":3988,"date":"2017-04-26T11:37:50","date_gmt":"2017-04-26T15:37:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ezermizion.org\/blog\/?p=3988"},"modified":"2017-05-01T14:03:49","modified_gmt":"2017-05-01T18:03:49","slug":"saving-a-life-the-see-saw-remains-on-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ezermizion.org\/blog\/saving-a-life-the-see-saw-remains-on-up\/","title":{"rendered":"Saving a Life: The See-Saw Remains on Up"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"DNA\"<\/a>
DNA<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Everyone dreams about it. Very few ever have the opportunity. I was one of those very few. True, I didn\u2019t jump into the ocean and save a child from drowning or dash into a burning building to save a baby but I did save a life<\/strong>. A forty-year-old cancer<\/strong> patient had only one chance to survive—a bone marrow transplant<\/strong>. A genetic match<\/strong> is vital for success and I was that genetic match<\/strong>. An Ezer Mizion staff member asked me if I would do it. Would I do it???! How could I not do it?! How could I live the rest of my life knowing that because of a little discomfort, a little inconvenience, a young woman was prevented from living the rest of hers?<\/p>\n

Thus said N.D. a law student residing in Israel<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Plans were made. Appointments were set. I was given a run-down of what to expect and all was set to go until I received the phone call. Ezer Mizion thanked me for agreeing to donate but was cancelling the procedure. The woman\u2019s condition had taken a turn for the worse and she was not in any condition to receive the transplant.<\/p>\n

\"bmr<\/a>
Potential Bone Marrow Donors<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I was crushed. By this time, I was identifying with this anonymous person as if she were a close member of my family. And she would be. It would be my blood<\/strong> that would be coursing through her veins. And now it was not to be. I pictured her lying on her death bed with her family gathered around her. I wanted to be there with them. I wanted to hug her and tell her I\u2019m so sorry. Instead I just stood there, still holding the phone. Numb. I read the obituaries for weeks after that, wondering at each entry, \u201cWas that her?\u201d<\/p>\n

I was very involved in my university courses at the law school. It was in the middle of major exams when Ezer Mizion appeared once again on my display screen.\u00a0 \u201cYour patient\u2019s condition has improved. She can handle a transplant now but it must be done immediately. Are you available to begin the prep?\u201d<\/p>\n

The test I had studied all night for. The notes I had just copied for next week\u2019s test.\u00a0 Grades. Reports\u2026 All meaningless now. All I wanted to know is what time I should be there.<\/p>\n

\"pr<\/a>
Stem Cell Harvesting<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

My mother was even more excited than I was. She had had cancer at a similar age and is healthy now. She felt that by her daughter donating marrow, she would have a chance to \u2018give back\u2019.<\/p>\n

At Schneider\u2019s Hospital, I was told I would need 4-5 days of injections to increase the stem cells<\/strong> in my body. On the big day, my blood<\/strong> would be drawn, the stem<\/strong> cells<\/strong> separated from it, then returned to my body. This would continue all day until enough stem cells<\/strong> had accumulated. Then the little \u2018bag of life\u2019 would be infused into my \u2018blood-sister\u2019. We would be in the same hospital but we would not meet due to international law. Oh, how I longed to hold her hand during the procedure! But I would have to be patient. If all goes well, we\u2019d be allowed to meet in two years.<\/p>\n

I can\u2019t deny that the injection period<\/a> was uncomfortable but every ache was erased\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 when I watched them bring that little bag to its destination.<\/p>\n

I was told that we were a 100% DNA match<\/strong><\/a>. Very unusual, they said.\u00a0 Now I lie in bed wondering who my DNA<\/strong> twin is. An unknown cousin perhaps? In one year, I am allowed to ask about her condition. Just knowing that she is healthy will be enough for me. And, if she is willing, in two years, I may meet the person who is alive because I didn\u2019t say no.<\/p>\n

To Donate<\/a><\/p>\n\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"pinterest\"<\/a>\"linkedin\"<\/a>\"mail\"<\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Everyone dreams about it. Very few ever have the opportunity. I was one of those very few. True, I didn\u2019t […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[95],"tags":[10,4,7,9,37,23,193,11],"class_list":["post-3988","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-bone-marrow-registry","tag-bone-marrow","tag-cancer","tag-israel","tag-jewish","tag-leukemia","tag-registry","tag-stem-cells","tag-transplant"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ezermizion.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3988","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ezermizion.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ezermizion.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ezermizion.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ezermizion.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3988"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/ezermizion.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3988\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4006,"href":"https:\/\/ezermizion.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3988\/revisions\/4006"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ezermizion.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3988"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ezermizion.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3988"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ezermizion.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3988"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}