Be the Match

May I begin this post by saying: this is not a brag post. I am hoping to dissipate information for a good cause.

Just a few minutes ago, I registered online to be a bone marrow donor. This is no frivolous sign-up. This means that I am willing and healthy enough to donate my bone marrow to a total stranger somewhere in the country at a moment's notice, if it turns out that I happen to be a match. The odds are, according to the website, 1 in 540.

What initiated this decision? Friendship. We have a "couple friend"-- and that's a rare thing to find. A couple friend, be definition, is a husband and wife who get along with another husband and wife and hopefully have some kind of mesh with the kids, too, and who both appreciate sushi and possess at least a few other shared interests. We're fortunate to have a few couple friends who tolerate my loudness and obsession with fitness, as well as my husband's quiet sense of humor and impatience with conversation for conversation's sake (he thinks there must be an activity of some sort to warrant conversation; whereas I grew up with 5 aunts and that's all they did, sit in a circle and talk. Talking is the activity.)

Well, this particular couple are going through the hellish journey of trying to beat leukemia. The reality of it is that their lives have been turned upside down. They must take one day at a time & choose to fight and hope. We hope with them. I wish I could fight with them, too. It's hard to see dear friends going through pain, knowing you're helpless to alleviate it. All we can do is try to take away their other daily "struggles"-- preparing meals, watching kids, drop off a pick-me-up treat or bouquet. In this way, we feel proactive. And yet, I still feel fairly unhelpful. And honestly, a little guilty. Why should my life be going so splendidly? Why am I in good health? Why is our happiness unfettered by such unexpected hardship? Perhaps it is simply not yet our turn.

But let's not turn too somber. My post is about hope. About giving hope and being hope. Maybe not for my friend, who fortunately has a donor match already. But for someone else like him, somewhere in the country. After learning about Be the Match, an online registry for potential bone marrow donors, I decided to look into it. I read the FAQs, the descriptions of the possible bone marrow extraction procedures (of which there are 2, both somewhat unpleasant), and the health requirements. To me, there wasn't much to think about. I've had epidurals (in my tiny spinal spaces); I've birthed babies; I've had laser hair removal, among other "correctional" procedures I've had done. I've run 3 marathons and survived 4 (soon to be 6) Ragnar relays (in van 2, might I add). I've spent 12 weeks on a bodybuilding diet. Okay, now this is starting to sound like a brag post ;)

The point is: I've survived pain. I've survived needles, anesthesia, and unpleasant procedures. I'm a tough chica. I believe that most women are. Most men would probably agree with me that women are TOUGH. What we go through to get children into this world, and then what we go through to fix everything said process did to our bodies-- takes mental & physical toughness. I know my hubby almost passed out when he saw me get an epidural!

So even though the bone marrow extraction is not as simple as merely donating blood or plasma, and does involve pain and recovery time, it's nothin'. I can do it. And I hope to do it. It was good to read that they need ethnic diversity, and my filipino blood provides just that. It was good to read that they need young, healthy individuals, and I have done everything in my power to be one.

Quick tangent: I'm in the throes of training right now for a bikini bodybuilding comp. I haven't discussed it much this time around, well, because I'm no longer new to it, & I hate to wear listeners out with dull stories about my inner struggles with diet, weigh-ins, and double-cardio days, yada yada. But there it is, I am doing a comp. And during this training, I do sometimes feel super selfish. My days revolve around my workouts, my meals, my moisturizing, my posing in the mirror, my pinching my body fat, and basically my fairly constant obsession with my physique. In my defense, I do a lot of service for others while trying to keep myself out of the fridge and pantry. But again, it is my body that is in the back of my mind.

However . . . while all this may very well BE selfish, the result is an incredibly, amazingly HEALTHY body. My muscles, tissues, organs, cells-- every particle of me is well-hydrated, strong, clean, untainted by saturated fats, refined sugars, or processed foods. My immune system is like the world's strongest military. My energy levels are beyond what most moms ever experience. Which brings me back to this point: I was grateful and proud and humbled to be able to make this commitment, knowing full well that my body can take it & that I do not have any health issues that would make me a non-viable candidate.

To maintain a strong, healthy body IS a service to others-- it is a service to my children because I have energy to play with them; it is a service to my spouse because, well, I have the energy to play with him, too! And it is a service to all the people in my life who I am able to help in any way. Never feel selfish for taking care of your body.

On that note, I know that many of my readers are healthy and strong. I invite you to consider joining this registry to become a bone marrow donor. If I could be the one to save my friend, I would do it in a heartbeat. And if I can't give my bone marrow to him, I would like it to go to someone like him. The more people we can get to join this registry, the more possibilities of hope for leukemia patients. Bone marrow transplant is their last hope.

Just go to this website to read all about it & to register. Haven't you ever wanted to save a life? http://marrow.org/Registry_Members/Donation/Steps_of_Donation.aspx