Photo By Chief Petty Officer ILJAY LAGMAN | Hospital Corpsman Second Class Eric Halpert swabs the cheek of a Coastal Riverine...... read more read more
Donating bone marrow seems like a scary task to most people if you listen stories and the perception that the task sounds painful. There is only a small percentage of people on the registry that match with a recipient and called upon to donate. These are not the thought of Sailors at the Coastal Riverine Squadron TWO (CRS-2). Over 100 Sailors from CRS-2 submitted applications to be a part of the national bone marrow registry to support the C.W. Bill Young DoD marrow donor program adding to the over 1 million United States military personnel available to donate bone marrow and stem cells. Exceeding the goal for registry applications, the crew of CRS-2 Sailors bring awareness for the need of bone marrow donation.
“We were very satisfied and proud of the support and motivation the CRS-2 community showed by meeting the set goal in just two days” is the response given by the event coordinator, Hospital Corpsman Second Class Marcus Tschauner, a Hospital Corpsman assigned to the Coastal Riverine Squadron TWO. When asked what motivated HM2 Tschauner to hold a registry drive, he replied; “I personally have never had the chance to sign-up for it myself, and when I found this program, I wanted to participate. I wanted to ensure others had the same opportunity.”
Commander Joseph Droll, Commander of the Coastal Riverine Squadron TWO, can attest to the power of a story of a Sailor and how it can affect a potential donor. CDR Droll had this to say about why he decided to register in the program “It’s a simple process that benefits more than one person, and participating in a program like this is a selfless act.”
Electronic Technician Second Class Michael Lemay stated, “When the chance to register arose, I wanted to take the opportunity to help while taking a positive stance and showing social responsibility” about his motivation to register. Hospital Corpsman Second Class Eric Halpert stated “I believe spreading awareness and holding application drives with more frequency would really bolster numbers” when asked about spreading awareness of the impact of bone marrow donations.
If a donor is matched with a recipient, they may donate through two methods which are based on the needs of the recipient. The traditional method of Bone Marrow donation is where marrow is removed with a needle from the donors hip. The procedure is done while under anesthesia and could lead to discomfort of the lower back and hips. The second method, which is quickly risen as the more prominent donation method, is Peripheral Blood Stem Cell (PBSC) Donation. The donor receives several doses of a medication and ultimately the stem cells are collected using aphaeresis. The process is compared to donating plasma and may cause donor to have flu like symptoms. According to Salute To Life, regardless of the donation method, most donors completely recover from all side effects, if any, within two weeks of the donation.
According to the National Marrow Donor Program, there are over 14,000 people a year who suffer from a blood cancer that can be cured with a bone marrow transplant. Over 70% of personnel diagnosed, are unable to receive stem cells from a family member. One of the 100 new donors that signed up at the donor drive held by CRS-2 could be presented with the opportunity to give someone else the chance to live a normal and healthy life. Additional information about bone marrow donation can be found at www.salutetolife.org.
| Date Taken: | 07.10.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 07.10.2018 23:10 |
| Story ID: | 283779 |
| Location: | VIRGINIA BEACH, VA, US |
| Web Views: | 203 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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