[Sca-cooks] medical and more part one

[Kirsten Houseknecht]

this is part one of a two part email.....this half is about me, and may
explain why i am sending part two in a minute....

i have been registered as a potential bone marrow donor for.. umm...about
ten?... years or so.

last week i was called and told that i am a potential/preliminary match to
someone needing a bone marrow transplant.

i went in on Monday and donated another small vial of blood for further
matching. Bone marrow transplants need to be matched carefully, to avoid any
problems.  a preliminary match is not enough.

i should hear within the near future whether i will be undergoing the final
stages of testing, and then going into the hospital to donate bone marrow.

Bone marrow donation is one of the few transplants that the donor will re
grow!  They take *some* of your bone marrow, and give it to the patient who
needs it, but over time you re-grow your lost bone marrow.

the procedure is not easy, and is not as simple as donating blood (the
simplest way to save a life!) but is not as serious as donating something
you wouldnt grow back, like a kidney.

All of this aside i am a needle phobic, and this entire thing has been, and
will continue to be, stressful for me.

Please add me to your prayers and workings, in general. and if i do end up
as a good match, i *will* be donating bone marrow. which will be worse on me
than on some people, because of my phobias.. so i will be asking you all for
your support and prayers.

if you find it ethical to do so, given that i know nothing about the person
who needs the transplant, please add them and their family to your prayers
as well.  it is a difficult position to be in, and i sincerely hope they
find a match, whether me, or another.
Kirsten Houseknecht
Fabric Dragon
kirsten at fabricdragon.com
www.fabricdragon.com
Philadelphia, PA     USA
Trims, Amber, Jet, Jewelry, and more...

I worry about you, wear a reflective sweater...