The Results Are In....

Several years ago, Bo submitted a sample of his bone marrow to the National Bone Marrow bank as a potential donor. We never thought of it again, until recently when he was contacted about a potential transplant.

Apparently, Bo was the best match for an 18-year-old girl with leukemia. There were 10 potential matches, but he was the best. All 10 people were being contacted to see if they'd be willing to donate their marrow to this young girl. The matching donor would be required to travel to a distant hospital to have the procedure.

We decided that Bo would undergo further testing, which included several rounds of questioning and a blood test. His blood sample was packed in ice and overnighted to be analyzed for compatibility. We started preparing for the very real possibility of Bo having to undergo this procedure for a stranger, since we were told we'd probably never be told who received Bo's bone marrow.

Last week, we received the answer we'd been waiting for. Bo is NOT going to be the donor! Although his marrow did match, there were some differences between him and the recipient, and a better match had emerged. We were so relieved!! Bo was so generous to be willing to give to someone he'd never met, but it is nice to know that he doesn't undergo this serious procedure.

Please keep this young girl in your thoughts as she will be undergoing a transplant soon. Hopefully, the donor's marrow will match and she'll recover quickly!