Many people believe that donating stem cells can be a painful process, but once they undertake the procedure they realise it is the opposite — saving a life is a rewarding and exciting prospect. Kevin Koester understood that stem cells can save a life when he registered to become a donor and was excited when he got the chance to donate.
Koester, a Wichita resident, recently donated some stem cells to an anonymous cancer patient. It was a relatively quick procedure and Kevin was out of the hospital within five hours. He spent those five hours sitting in a bed watching television; with his proud wife sitting close by.
Mr Koester registered with the “Be the Match” stem cell registry about 5 years ago. A simple cotton swab sample was taken and his details were added to a database. He realised he wanted to be a donor when he saw a young girl go through leukaemia at his university.
Kevin was an eager donor. For the first six-months after registering, he hoped to receive a phone call. He eventually forgot about being registered and was surprised to receive a phone call from the Be the Match this year.
After being identified as a match, donors still have to go through a number of tests to ensure their stem cells are suitable for a transplant. Those tests are typically performed on a single blood sample.
A month after giving blood, Kevin was confirmed as a suitable donor. All he knew about the recipient was that it was a woman about his mom’s age.
A month later, he donated the stem cells. Before he donated the stem cells, Kevin also had two injections which increased his body’s production of stem cells.
Over that month, the intended recipient of the stem cells was undergoing aggressive chemotherapy which was going to destroy her cancer and immune system. The stem cell transplant would rebuild her immune system and capacity to generate healthy blood cells.
After the donation, Kevin received a letter from the recipient’s family, thanking him profusely for the donation. Kevin is now more aware than ever that stem cells can save a life.
Source: Kevin Koester’s stem cells save a life
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