Shannon's Blog

Poster

2008-03-23T20:09:00.000-07:00

The Donation Process

2008-03-16T12:15:00.000-07:00

It can take up to 60 days for the patient's doctor to get test results and select a donor. The patient's health conditions also are a determining factor in the process time. You may be asked to donate right away, or to wait until the patient is ready.

Types of Donation: Bone Marrow & PBSC Donation

(adapted by me from the NMDP website)

Bone Marrow donation is a surgical procedure done under anesthesia. Doctors use special, hollow needles to withdraw liquid marrow from the back of your pelvic bones. Many donors receive a transfusion of their own, already donated, blood.

^ Bone Marrow Diagram

PBSC donation takes place at an apheresis center. You receive daily injections of a drug called filgrastim five days p rior to collection-- to increase the amount of blood-forming cells in your bloodstream. Your blood is then removed with a sterile needle in one arm and passed through a machine that separates out the blood-forming cells. The remaining blood is returned to you.

Frequently Asked Questions About Marrow Donation

2008-03-16T11:44:00.000-07:00

Q&A

adapted by me from NMDP Website

Q: How is a bone marrow match determined?

A: Doctors look for a donor who matches their patient's tissue type, specifically their human leukocyte antigen (HLA) tissue type. HLA are proteins-- or markers-- found on most cells in your body. Your immune system uses these markers to recognize which cells belong in your body and which do not. The closer the match between the patient's HLA markers and yours the better for the patients.

Q: How do I donate?

A: Join the NMDP Registry. All it takes to join the registry is a few minutes of paper work (you will be asked to fill out a health questionnaire and to sign a form stating that you understand the commitment you are making), and a small sample of blood or a swab of cheek cells for tissue typing.

Q: What happens if I match a person?

A: More testing will be done (either a blood sample or cheek swab, again, will be taken and stored) to determine if you are the best possible match for the patient. At this stage, the likelihood of you being selected as the "best" possible match is 1 in 12. If you are selected as the best match you will be scheduled to attend an information session to learn about the donation process, risks and side effects.

***NOTE: Participating in additional testing is your decision, and is conducted at no cost to you.

Did you know?

Each year 35,000 people are diagnosed with blood cancers that can be treated by a bone marrow or cord blood transplant;
Only 30 percent will find a donor match within their family'
The remaining 70 percent must search the NMDP Registry for a match;
6,000 men, women and children search the Registry daily

Join the more than 11 million worldwide who stand ready to save a life!

"It's Good to Know a Miracle: Dani's Story"

2008-03-16T07:56:00.001-07:00

Former NTAF fundraising family-- the Shotel's-- recently published "It's Good to Know a Miracle: Dani's Story."

The book is a compilation of diary entires recorded by the Shotel's during the course of daughter, Dani's, battle with leukemia. The book takes you on a journey from prognosis to chemotherapy, from donor searches to transplantation-- and finally to recovery, through the eyes of Dani, her family and close friends.

The Shotel's will join NTAF as special guests at our 3rd Annual Transplant Donor Awareness Community Luncheon and Marrow Drive in April. Though Dani will not be in attendance, parents, Jay and Sue, will be available to discuss the book, sell and sign copies of the book, and to share their personal experience with leukemia, marrow drives and transplantation.

The book can be purchased at Amazon.com and at the book website http://itsgoodtoknowamiracle.googlepages.com/, where you can also read additional information about the book.

Event

2008-03-05T18:11:00.000-08:00

^ Invitation cover created using the tools and software learned in this class.

The event I'll be blogging about for this week's assignment is not an imaginary event created for the purpose of this class, but a real, live event taking place in our very own backyard of suburban Philadelphia. The event: NTAF's 3rd Annual Transplant Donor Awareness Community Luncheon and Marrow Drive.

If you haven't already read my blog ... NTAF (where I work) is a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit (with headquarters in Radnor, Pa.) that assists transplant patients and individuals living with catastrophic injury in fundraising for their uninsured medical expenses. The cost of transplantation and catastrophic injury (spinal cord injury, brain trauma and burns) can be physically, emotionally and financially overwhelming. NTAF is here to help alleviate the financial burden incurred.

Each year in honor of National Donate Life Month (April), NTAF holds a community luncheon to celebrate those who donate-- those who give others a second chance at life. This year, to commemorate 25 years of dedicated service to the transplant community, NTAF has chosen to couple its annual luncheon with a bone marrow registration drive. The goal: to register 250 potential marrow donors to the NMDP Registry (see previous blog "NMDP" for more information regarding the Registry). SEE DETAILS BELOW.

Luncheon
April 25, 2008
11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Radnor Financial Center
in the Atrium
150 N. Radnor Chester Road, Radnor PA 19087
(Honored guests: Dave Huddleston, Fox 29 co-anchor and marrow donor; Dr. Jack and Pat Kolff, NTAF co-founders.)

Bone Marrow Drive
Same time, same building, different location. The drive will be held in Wing A of the Radnor Financial Center. The drive is separate from the luncheon. NTAF will pay for the $52 tissue-typing fee-- a measure of our commitment to the cause.

More logos and Graphic Image

2008-03-05T18:09:00.000-08:00

Graphic Image ^

Logos

2008-03-05T18:06:00.001-08:00

I found at later that I did this assignment incorrectly. But here are my "signs" or "banners" per say that include logo elements. I'm a beginner, bare with me.

Perspective and Any Thing Goes - Photoshop

2008-02-26T19:52:00.001-08:00

Share Your Gift With the World
I chose to place an image of a marrow donor-- an image from the NMDP website www.marrow.org-- on top of an image of the globe, creating perspective by decreasing the image size (using the free transform tool) and adjusting the color of the image (using the warming tool). I struggled with this as I am very new at this Photoshop stuff. I think the image--at its best-- could represent that your gift of life (a marrow donation) could travel the globe to save a life.

Background

2008-02-26T17:34:00.000-08:00

^ Original sunrise photo.

^ Original donor exchange photo.

I chose to place an image of a marrow donor and marrow recipient embracing in the forefront of a sunrise. I think it makes for a symbolic image: a sunrise is the start of a new day ... a transplant -- the start of a new life.
In fact, marrow recipients, when asked how old they are, may tell you they are the age in years equivalent to their days/months/years post-transplant. Example: a 45 year-old man who received the gift of life (a marrow transplant) seven years ago, would be 7 years old.

The National Marrow Donor Program

2008-02-13T07:28:00.001-08:00

The National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) oversees the world's largest registry of marrow donors, The NMDP Registry of Donors.

Each year 35,000 Americans are diagnosed with leukemia, lymphoma and other life-threatening diseases that can be treated by bone marrow or cord blood transplantation. Only 30 percent will find a life-saving marrow donor match within their family. On any given day 6,000 men, women and children search the Registry for an unrelated marrow donor match-- and a second chance at life.

Click here to learn more at www.marrow.org.

The Bone Marrow Foundation

2008-02-13T07:04:00.000-08:00

The Bone Marrow Foundation is another great resource for bone marrow and stem cell transplant patients. The foundation provides educational, emotional and financial support for patients, their families and friends.

The foundation is meant to be a "starting point" for patients who are to undergo transplantation: to learn facts about transplantation, to learn how to cover the crushing financial aspect of transplantation and how to cope "emotionally" with transplantation.

The Bone Marrow Foundation provides frequently asked questions regarding transplantation, facts about transplantation, connects patients with post-BMT and stem cell transplant patients, and provides "direct financial aid" to transplant patients to help alleviate the astronomical financial strain transplantation can place on an individual and their family.

BMT Info Net

2008-02-13T06:21:00.000-08:00

BMT infonet is exactly what its name eludes it to be--a "blood and marrow transplant (BMT) information network". This site provides resources for undergoing and surviving bone marrow transplantation, providing site visitors with both educational and emotional support.

[Available resources include: resources directory, a directory of transplant centers, news updates on transplantation, a drug database, books on transplantation, etc. ]

BMT infonet also connects BMT patients with BMT survivors, as well as refers patients and survivors to financial institutions to help individuals understand the costs of transplantation [which can be extreme] and demonstrate how to raise/collect the money necessary to have the sufficient funds for pre- and post-transplantation expenses.

NTAF

2008-02-12T19:55:00.000-08:00

National Transplant Assistance Fund & Catastrophic Injury Program (NTAF) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that assists transplant and catastrophic injury patients in fundraising for their uninsured medical expenses.

NTAF is Celebrating 25 Years of Service October 2007 through October 2008.

Support NTAF's celebratory initiative "Save a Life" -- a year-long commitment to educate and register 250 potential marrow donors to the NMDP Registry of Donors.

To learn more about the NMDP Registry visit the NMDP website www.marrow.org.

To learn more about NTAF and our Save a Life Initiative visit the NTAF website www.transplantfund.org.

Bone Marrow Transplants

2008-01-30T18:16:00.000-08:00

The topic I chose to delve into for this course is bone marrow transplants. This topic is appealing to me because it relates closely to my current professional work.

I work at a local nonprofit (NTAF) that helps transplant (solid organ, bone marrow and stem cell) patients, as well as individuals living with catastrophic injury (spinal cord injury, brain trauma and burns), fundraise for their uninsured medical expenses.

NTAF has a 24-year record (and counting) helping transplant patients nationwide afford life-saving medical care. (Our Catastrophic Injury Program was initiated in 2000, as we discovered how our services to the transplant community could be emulated to accommodate the financial needs of individuals living with catastrophic injuries.)

As a celebration of our upcoming 25th anniversary (October 2008), we launched our Save a Life Initiative--a year-long commitment (started in October 2007) to educate the local community about the importance of bone marrow donation, with a goal of registering 250 potential marrow donors to the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) Registry.

We have chosen this initiative as a fitting means to commemorate our silver anniversary, because part of our mission as an organization is to conduct transplant donor awareness. (The need is great. Currently 97,000 individuals await transplantation. The need to raise awareness is critical.)

NTAF is currently working with 102 bone marrow transplant patients, many are holding marrow donor registration drives (in search of life-saving marrow donor matches) in their hometowns, nationwide. As cancer becomes a more prevalent word in our world-- 35,000 diagnosed with blood cancers alone each year-- NTAF would like to extend a helping hand to the thousands who search for a life-saving donor match, daily, in hope of a second chance at life.

As part of our education efforts, NTAF has and will hold several bone marrow "lunch and learns" in our corporate community (Radnor, Pa.) and several marrow drives in the local and surrounding communities.

I am responsible for publicizing these efforts and creating promotional materials for correlated events. I'd like to gain further knowledge of this topic so that I can better communicate our objectives and the "need" through beautiful and action-driven materials (for web and print).