Navigating family questions before donation
As you set the stage to speak with your family members, seeing their viewpoint will help you create a comfortable environment as they may not be as knowledgeable or aware of the blood stem cell donation or the procedure.
As you set the stage to speak with your family members, seeing their viewpoint will help you create a comfortable environment as they may not be as knowledgeable or aware of the blood stem cell donation or the procedure. Sometimes the conversation may be challenging and difficult to handle. We’re here to help you navigate all those questions with useful resources and answers.
When you open up about your motivations and reasons for donating, at the same time, it is also advisable to ask your family members to share their fears and doubts with you so you can provide them all the information needed to clarify their doubts. We understand that there are many misconceptions surrounding the donation procedure and the healthcare system and more than happy to help you clear those.
The DKMS BMST website is a good resource to help you answer all these questions and more. You may refer to the section here for some of the commonly asked questions by family members. Additionally, the DKMS BMST team is also always available to help you with your discussions. They’re also willing to talk to a spouse, a parent, an HR professional, a college administrator, or anyone concerned about you and how the donation will impact your health, your school/work schedule and more.
It is also important to note that we are in urgent need to recruit more and more potential donors in India as only 0.03% of the population is registered. The more people registered in the donor database, the better the chances for patients to find a matching donor.
Donor health and safety
The safety and health of our donors are of utmost priority for us and we ensure that the procedures and the entire donation process is safe. As you take the time out for the donation procedure, your family members and friends can help you with positive conversations and making you feel calm, relaxed and happy. A calm and relaxed mind and body will help you ease into the procedure as you lay in bed while your stem cells are being extracted. What you’re about to do is a very powerful thing and the donation process can be a rewarding experience. You’re doing one of the best things you could ever do by helping give someone a second chance at life. And remember, you’re changing a family’s life forever!
