I am a match!

Well I thought it would be between 4-13 weeks before I received any news on the bone marrow thing.

Turns out it was exactly 2 weeks to the day.

I got a call on Tuesday.  But somehow I didn't hear the phone ring.  About 2 minutes later I noticed I had missed a call from a number I didn't recognize.  As soon as I heard the beginning of the message I knew what it was about.  The kind lady I spoke to the first time about setting up the blood draw had told me if I was a match I would receive a phone call, if I was not then they would send a letter to inform me.  This message was to inform me that I was a match.  So I called back right away.

I can't begin to describe the emotions you go through when you get that call.  Probably, because I didn't have a chance to really process them right then...there was so much information thrown at me so quickly.  I got bits and pieces of it, and then she followed up with an email confirming our appointment to talk again the next day, schedule travel arrangements and discuss the process and risks.  At the time I wondered why we had to wait till the next day for all that...an then I realized shortly after that there was no way I could process it all.  I NEEDED that time to let the information I had settle before I was given more.

Since I registered through this partiular Dept of Defense program, it works a bit differently than other registries.  The main difference is the travel.  In order to complete the donation, I am required to travel.  Since there is a physical required prior to the donation, that means two different trips for me.

Anyway, she told me a little bit about the travel required and then hit me with the biggest shocker...the date the transplant would take place.  Its soon, really soon!  Much sooner than I would have anticipated.  I guess because the first lady said the testing would take so long, and she said typically from the date of the first letter you can anticipate it happening sometime within 6 months.  Well, apparently this patient has an urgent need because its a much faster timeline!

So she asked me to be thinking about the schedule and travel dates...and she emailed me all sorts of forms and information.  And then I spent the next 24 hours trying to mentally process it all.