A chance to save a life

  • Published
  • By Lisa Pyburn
  • 509th Medical Group
WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo., --  Donating bone marrow isn't something most people are itching to do. Many erroneously believe it's always an invasive, painful process, despite the fact that it can and does save lives.  Whether or not to donate is a tough descision to make, but Capt. Kelly Friesen of the B-2 Test Team, didn't think twice.

While at Maxwell AFB for a six-week course in 2004, Captain Friesen decided to donate blood at a base sponsored drive. While completing the paperwork for the blood drive, Captain Friesen noted that he had the option to have an extra vial of his blood drawn for DNA-based typing. It was that DNA typing that registered him as potential donor through the C.W. Bill Young DoD Bone Marrow Program.

The C.W. Bill Young Marrow Donor Program was established 1986 to provide military contingency support for casualties with marrow toxic injury due to radiation or chemical warfare agents. Exposure to radiation and chemical agents (such as nerve and mustard gases) used in modern warfare can cause unrecoverable damage to bone marrow.

Captain Friesen said that he did not think twice about registering, as his flight instructor had already been a bone marrow donor for someone needing a transplant.

"I knew if my flight instructor could go through the process of donation, I could too," Captain Friesen said.

About two years after registering, he received a phone call from a DoD donation coordinator stating that he was a potential match. He followed-up at their request by going into the clinic on base and having a blood sample taken for further HLA typing to ensure that he was the best potential match. The coordinator contacted him again and indicated that he was the best match. At that point during the process, Captain Friesen flew to Washington D.C. where he had a complete physical to include several X-rays and blood work.

During this time, Captain Friesen said he met with several physicians and staff who repeatedly asked if he was positive he wanted to be a donor. The physicians had to be sure he was committed, as the recipient is very vulnerable at this time due to their immune system being "completely wiped out."

Due to the on-going risk of transplant rejection, medical policy requires both donor and recipient remain anonymous to each other for a year. The only biographical information the captain received regarding the recipient was she was a 51-year-old female and the type of cancer she was fighting.

While waiting for the donation process to begin, he was told the recipient had become too ill to undergo the transplant. Captain Friesen said he was surprised when several months later the donation coordinator called him back and asked if he was still willing to be a donor for the same recipient, as her health had improved enough for a transplant.

"All I could think of in response to that question was 'of course, this could be my mother!'" Captain Friesen said.

Captain Friesen was then flown to Virginia for a week-long stay, with all his travel expenses paid for by the donor program. The Transplant Center requested stem cells be collected directly from his circulating blood (PBSC donation) rather than his bone marrow. As a result, the first few days of his stay included receiving several shots to increase his body's production of bone marrow in order to force the stems cells out of his bones and directly into his blood stream, where they were later collected through the PBSC process and given to the recipient. 

With PBSC, the donor's blood is removed through an intravenous needle and passed through a machine that separates out blood-forming cells. The remaining blood is returned through a needle in the donor's other arm. Captain Friesen said the  process was only slightly uncomfortable, as he had to lie still for several hours. Afterwards, he said he had the typical donor symptoms of "bone aches," especially in his lower back and a headache.

About six months later, Captain Friesen was informed the transplant recipient had passed away. Although very saddened by the news, Captain Friesen hoped that his donation possibly gave the patient at least a few extra months to be with her family and friends, and said he would donate again if called upon to do so.

"Of course I would (donate again); it is the chance to save someone's life," he said.

Team Whiteman will have the opportunity to potentially safe a life, by supporting a base-wide bone marrow drive in support of the C.W. Bill Young DoD Donor Program on:

Nov. 5-6:
509th Medical Group Clinic (1-4 p.m.)

Nov. 6:
BX, Community Center (3-6 p.m.)

Nov. 7:
BX (11 a.m.-2 p.m.)
Community Center (11 a.m.-3 p.m.)

For those who are already a registered donor and need to update their address and other contact information call the C.W. Bill Young DoD Donor Program at 1-800-MARROW-3 and press ext. 501.

Contact information is vital in quickly locating a member found to be a potential match for a patient. For more information, contact the Team Whiteman Program Organizers: 1st Lt. George Diaz at (660) 687-2141/2163) or Lisa Pyburn at (660) 864-4800.