Quote:
Originally posted by MissEve
Shemp,
What kind of match does the donor need to be? it sounds like more than blood type etc if he was German. How did you find him as a donor?
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there is a worldwide registry, the major cancer centers around the world are all connected. people register to donate.
the best match is a twin, but that didnt apply in my case and my brother didnt match either, so i had to get an unrelated donor...of course that takes many months and in the meantine you are dying from the disease.
Matching involves typing human leukocyte antigen (HLA) tissue. The antigens on the surface of these special white blood cells determine the genetic make-up of a person's immune system. There are at least 100 HLA antigens, however, it is believed that there are a few major antigens that determine whether a donor and recipient match. The others are considered minor and their effect on a successful transplant is not as well defined.
Medical research is still investigating the role all antigens play in the process of a bone marrow transplant. The more antigens that match, the better the engraftment of donated marrow. Engraftment of the stem cells occurs when the donated cells make their way to the marrow and begin reproducing new blood cells.
As it turned out, i was a type O blood, but my donor was a type B...so now i have become a type B as well ;)