Walk the Walk

Last Friday a friend of mine told me one of her closest friend's son was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer.  I had  had a couple drinks and when she said she would be getting tested to be a bone marrow donor, I said I will get tested too.  The next day I was thinking about the horrible news and the conversation.  At first I found myself thinking of the reasons why I wouldn't actually be able to do it...it would hurt, it would cost money, it would make me miss work or be away from the kids.  I told myself the pain I would handle and I could look into the details before doing anything further.  Monday morning (without any research into the details at all) I found myself on the registry website filling out the application.  I realized something....this is exactly what I have been feeling and talking about lately.  This is my chance to walk the walk and not just talk the talk. 

I believe we are all in this together.  If we could just become truly aware of this life would be so much nicer!  It doesn't matter in the big scheme of things if it's the boy next door or the boy across the world.  It doesn't matter if its CF or cancer or AIDS.  If people are suffering and dying then we should be doing something to help them.  I can't imagine what the mother of a child with cancer feels like when her child needs a bone marrow transplant and there isn't anyone to give it that is a match even though there are millions of people everywhere who could possibly save her child that are just not willing to try. 

CF is different...I can't offer my lungs to the masses that need them.  I can only give financially and emotionally.  I can take care of my son and put him in appropriate clinical trials.  I can sign up to be an organ donor when I die.  But with cancer and other diseases there is something I can give that I wont even miss that could possibly save someone else's life.  Some one else's child. 

In a couple days I will recieve my kit in the mail.  It is as simple as swabbing the inside of my mouth and sending it back in.  Then I will wait and hope that I am a match to someone out there in need.  It is free.  It is very easy.  It may be painful but I will just think of the thousands of children who go in every month to have spinals or bone marrow transplants and my pain will be irrelative. 

Want to join me?  http://www.marrow.org/