Corner of Bourbon & Division

One year ago today Emru Townsend passed away.

You can STILL make a difference, still honour his memory, by registering to donate bone marrow. Educate yourselves, educate your friends.

1. 70% of people requiring a stem cell transplant need an unrelated donor.
The first choice is a family member, but more people will have to rely on a stranger.


2. Register by providing a blood sample in Quebec or the UK, or a cheek swab sample in the rest of Canada or the US.
In the US, UK and most of Canada, you can even fill in your registration online and get a kit sent to your home.
This is a free service in many countries, and in the US, there are ways to register for free.


3. Donation is safe, fast, and not risky.
You never donate stem cells or bone marrow at risk to your own life. Whatever is donated replenishes itself naturally in the body.


4. There are 2 ways to do it.
70% of people will donate in a process that takes a few hours and is similar to donating blood. For a few days leading up to the extraction process, the donor receives injections to produce additional stem cells in the body.

30% of people will donate by having liquid marrow extracted from within the back of the pelvic bone.


5. Many people cannot find matches.
Giving blood is important, and people who need transplants (in addition to many other people) need blood to survive. There are 8 blood types, but several million combinations of possible human leukocyte antigen (HLA) profiles - 150 billion different possibilities in theory.

Where to go for more information:

http://www.onematch.ca OneMatch (Canada) free
http://www.hema-quebec.qc.ca Hema-Quebec (Quebec) free

http://www.marrow.org National Marrow Donor Program (US) free in person if you are in a minority donor pool, subsidized or free at some bone marrow drives, free online registration with promo code
http://www.dkmsamericas.org DKMS Americas (US) Find out how to register without leaving home for free or by paying what you can
http://www.anthonynolan.org.uk Anthony Nolan Trust (UK) free

It's Saturday, but I keep thinking it's Sunday. That would be Not Good, as I'm meant to be out of town tomorrow, so I'd be really late. ;)

I slept in today. Slept in properly until 10:00, and have been puttering around. I am getting spoiled beyond measure.

I have laundry to do today. Bleah. I still don't enjoy laundry. Maybe that'll change. I know that the rest of the household chores aren't as bad anymore, for some reason. Maybe 'cause I don't have to wash floors anymore.

Going to Emru's memorial later today. It ought to be nice, I think. So many people loved and admired him, it can't be anything but a beautiful memorial. I still don't have the words to express what I really want to say about this whole situation. I doubt I ever will.

It's been a hard week for everyone, it seems. Found out that someone dear to many of my friends is very likely going to pass away sometime in the next couple of days. It's weird, because I barely know him, but I know so many people who love him so very much that I feel as though I'm losing a friend too.

I've said it elsewhere, but I'm going to say again just how unfair this seems. I know that life isn't fair, but every now and then it would be nice if miracles did happen to those who deserve them, especially this man and his family, who fought so long and so hard and touched so many lives with their struggle. There are levels of unfair in this world, and if this doesn't qualify for the top level, then it's certainly in the top three.

I never got to know this man, except indirectly, in this past year. I met him a couple of times, and thought how lovely he was. I was looking forward eventually to getting to know him better. I honestly thought there would be time. Every time someone dies, there's a terrible feeling of regret among those who knew them, for all the missed opportunities, for everything we took for granted, like the amount of time we have.

The only thing I can do now is to carry on the legacy that he and his family have begun. I can make sure that, no matter what, this will make a difference in the lives of others.

I just wish it didn't feel like so little.