Hi, Jordan's Mom.
I want to echo Paul's sentiment that your daughter is doing an amazing, life-affirming, and absolutely wonderful thing. I received a bone marrow transplant from a perfectly matched, unrelated donor (MUD) in October 1998. I'm currently 17.5 years post-transplant and in perfect health aside from those things that come our way in middle age--but those would have come anyway. In the years since my transplant I've seen my sons graduate from high school and college and go on to establish themselves in solid careers. I've celebrated 35 years with my devoted husband, Neil. And all because of the generous, selfless act of my donor. Not a day goes by that I don't think about her.
I met my donor, courtesy of
Be The Match (formerly the National Marrow Donor Program), in 2000. You can read about my experience in my
Personal Profile. She spent the night in the hospital when she donated marrow and described the discomfort afterwards as similar to having fallen on her backside while ice skating, but she was able to resume her normal life immediately.
I am always compelled to hug any donor I meet, so please give your daughter a virtual hug from me on behalf of all transplant recipients. Feel free to post more questions here. I'm happy to help in any way I can.
Regards,
Ruth