Post by Stan on Jan 23, 2008 8:44:20 GMT -5
Midshipman Gives Gift of Life
Story Number: NNS080122-13
Release Date: 1/22/2008 5:50:00 PM
By Chief Mass Communication Specialist (SW) Misty Trent, U.S. Naval Academy Public Affairs
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (NNS) -- The U.S. Naval Academy sponsored a bone marrow screening drive on Jan. 22, and that same day, a midshipman was making a potentially life-saving donation of her own.
Midshipman 2nd Class Michelle DeGrothy has never met the recipient of her bone marrow. She doesn't know his name or what he looks like. She doesn't know what he does for a living or if he has a family. All she knows is that he's 56 years old and suffers from non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, and her bone marrow could be the difference between life and death.
"My dad is 50 years old, and I can't imagine my dad being sick," DeGrothy explained. "All I have to do is miss a couple days of school and get poked with a few needles. It's a small price to pay to know someone else could live longer."
According to the National Marrow Donor Program, more than 6,000 men, women and children are searching the registry for a life-saving donor on any given day, and more than 500 military personnel and family members are in need of a bone marrow transplant.
DeGrothy's involvement with the National Marrow Donor Program began nearly two years ago when she was in Pearl Harbor during fleet summer training. While waiting for some friends, she came across a bone marrow drive. A few cotton swabs of the mouth, a little paperwork, and she was done.
DeGrothy, an applied math major, forgot she'd even signed up until she got a call a few months ago informing her that she was a potential match. A few simple blood tests confirmed that she was indeed a good match for the patient. With support from her chain of command, DeGrothy decided to participate in the donation.
On Jan. 18, DeGrothy reported to the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore to participate in a peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) donation. Over the course of five days, she received shots of a drug that released the marrow-producing cells into her blood stream. An apheresis machine then drew blood out of her vein, filtered out the life-saving marrow cells, and returned the blood, similar to a dialysis machine.
In the other method of bone marrow extraction, the marrow is harvested directly from the donor's bone in a surgical procedure under anesthesia. The PBSC method takes longer, but is considered gentler.
"It's a good cause," said DeGrothy, a Pittsburgh native. "It's a little inconvenience for me to help someone in a big way."
Before the Bone Marrow Screening at the Naval Academy, DeGrothy encouraged midshipmen and Academy faculty and staff to participate.
"As midshipmen, we tend to focus on ourselves a lot," she said. "Someone is counting on me. I have no idea if someone else out there matches him or how much he needs it. I don't know if it gives him a few more months or the rest of his life. We're supposed to be future officers, and I feel honored that I could help him in this way."
Story Number: NNS080122-13
Release Date: 1/22/2008 5:50:00 PM
By Chief Mass Communication Specialist (SW) Misty Trent, U.S. Naval Academy Public Affairs
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (NNS) -- The U.S. Naval Academy sponsored a bone marrow screening drive on Jan. 22, and that same day, a midshipman was making a potentially life-saving donation of her own.
Midshipman 2nd Class Michelle DeGrothy has never met the recipient of her bone marrow. She doesn't know his name or what he looks like. She doesn't know what he does for a living or if he has a family. All she knows is that he's 56 years old and suffers from non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, and her bone marrow could be the difference between life and death.
"My dad is 50 years old, and I can't imagine my dad being sick," DeGrothy explained. "All I have to do is miss a couple days of school and get poked with a few needles. It's a small price to pay to know someone else could live longer."
According to the National Marrow Donor Program, more than 6,000 men, women and children are searching the registry for a life-saving donor on any given day, and more than 500 military personnel and family members are in need of a bone marrow transplant.
DeGrothy's involvement with the National Marrow Donor Program began nearly two years ago when she was in Pearl Harbor during fleet summer training. While waiting for some friends, she came across a bone marrow drive. A few cotton swabs of the mouth, a little paperwork, and she was done.
DeGrothy, an applied math major, forgot she'd even signed up until she got a call a few months ago informing her that she was a potential match. A few simple blood tests confirmed that she was indeed a good match for the patient. With support from her chain of command, DeGrothy decided to participate in the donation.
On Jan. 18, DeGrothy reported to the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore to participate in a peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) donation. Over the course of five days, she received shots of a drug that released the marrow-producing cells into her blood stream. An apheresis machine then drew blood out of her vein, filtered out the life-saving marrow cells, and returned the blood, similar to a dialysis machine.
In the other method of bone marrow extraction, the marrow is harvested directly from the donor's bone in a surgical procedure under anesthesia. The PBSC method takes longer, but is considered gentler.
"It's a good cause," said DeGrothy, a Pittsburgh native. "It's a little inconvenience for me to help someone in a big way."
Before the Bone Marrow Screening at the Naval Academy, DeGrothy encouraged midshipmen and Academy faculty and staff to participate.
"As midshipmen, we tend to focus on ourselves a lot," she said. "Someone is counting on me. I have no idea if someone else out there matches him or how much he needs it. I don't know if it gives him a few more months or the rest of his life. We're supposed to be future officers, and I feel honored that I could help him in this way."