WE’VE HEARD IT, AND YOU CAN’T SAY YOU HAVEN’T! A campaign was held at Yüzyıl University Faculty of Medicine GOP Hospital under the slogan “Now is the time for kindness, now is the time for marrow!” Participants donated three vials of blood and contributed to the Türkök donor pool. They invited me as well, and I hold such deep respect for their work that I immediately jumped on a flight from England, donated blood, and became a potential donor.
Please, come to the Turkish Red Crescent’s Türkök and donate three vials of blood, bringing hope to thousands of people fighting for their lives. But don’t stop there—should your tissue type match that of a patient in need, please do not back out of being a donor. Most importantly, never withdraw at the last minute before the transplant! Because in doing so, you’re not only extinguishing people’s hopes—you’re putting their very lives at risk! We discussed this matter in depth with Prof. Dr. Barış Malbora…
— Professor, what’s the problem?
The problem stems from life-threatening diseases. There are certain illnesses on this planet for which, given today’s knowledge and technology, the only solution is unfortunately stem cell transplantation…
— What are these diseases?
Leukemia and blood/bone marrow cancers. Of course, other organ cancers, inherited metabolic disorders, immune system deficiencies, and inherited anemias such as thalassemia. For these conditions, bone marrow transplantation remains the only definitive cure today…
— Are “stem cell transplant” and “bone marrow transplant” the same thing?
Well, a “bone marrow transplant” is a type of stem cell transplant. However, bone marrow is not the only source of stem cells. Since bone marrow is frequently used as the stem cell source, the terms “stem cell transplant” and “bone marrow transplant” are often used interchangeably.
— Let’s get to the real issue… People donate blood to become donors. Up to this point, everything is wonderful! But when a match is found between a donor and a patient awaiting a transplant, and Türkök requests the donor to proceed, sometimes the donor suddenly backs out. Why?
Yes, sadly, about 20% of our donors withdraw when it comes time to actually donate!
— So one out of every five people…
Exactly. Some of our patients awaiting bone marrow may have more than one fully matched potential donor. They are the lucky ones. If one candidate backs out, we immediately turn to another. But sometimes, in this vast world, there may be only one suitable donor for a particular patient. In such cases, that single volunteer’s decision to withdraw is a devastating disappointment—for the child patient, their family, and for us as well. Can you imagine? You have a 3-year-old patient diagnosed with high-risk leukemia. You’ve searched all bone marrow registries worldwide, and only one donor is a match. You request that donor to proceed with donation—and they say they’ve changed their mind! For that child’s parents, it feels like the end of the world! There are many reasons behind such withdrawals…
— Are they afraid?
Yes, fear is one of the reasons. But people fear what they don’t understand. Our society lacks sufficient information on this topic. If people clearly understood that the procedure poses no threat to their own lives, I truly believe that when called upon to donate, they would run to give their stem cells!
— Do they not understand the importance of this?
That’s another aspect. If people could visit our hospital rooms and meet these wonderful children who need bone marrow transplants, they would understand how crucial and life-saving this act is. I think it’s our responsibility to raise greater awareness. We should repeat campaigns like “Now is the time for kindness, now is the time for marrow!” organized by Türkök and our hospital, much more frequently.
— Are spouses, mothers, or fathers objecting, Professor?
Unfortunately, that’s another reason. For example, one of my patients in need of a bone marrow transplant had a perfect tissue match with her aunt. When we found out, we were over the moon. We completed all preparations for the transplant, and had already started chemotherapy on the patient—a point of no return—when the aunt’s husband objected to her being a donor! Because her husband refused, we couldn’t proceed with the transplant for our little patient! Fortunately, our global bone marrow registry search found another fully matched donor, and we successfully performed the transplant. We were lucky. Today, our patient is living a healthy life. But we’ve also seen the opposite scenarios. Take Mehmet, the hero, for instance. Mehmet donated his life-saving stem cells to two siblings suffering from a very rare disease. If only everyone could be as courageous as Mehmet…
— I’ve heard that some of those who back out demand money. Is that true?
Yes, we encounter such cases too. Thankfully, laws have erected strong barriers to prevent this. Türkök is also taking very positive steps in this regard. For example, donors and recipients cannot meet face-to-face for at least two years after the transplant. Their identities remain confidential. After two years, if both parties consent, they may meet.
ATTENTION, ATTENTION… PLEASE DO NOT WITHDRAW JUST BEFORE THE TRANSPLANT!
— “Of course, let’s all become potential donors. But the real journey begins when you learn your tissue type perfectly matches a patient in need.”
— “If you back out at this stage, the patient will continue to struggle with a serious illness and may even lose their life! The moral burden of this is immense. The worst case is when a donor agrees to proceed, but then withdraws one week or ten days before the transplant—after we’ve already started chemotherapy on the patient. At this stage, the chemotherapy we administer permanently destroys the patient’s bone marrow.”
— “I compare this process to launching a rocket into space. Once the rocket is launched, you can’t say, ‘Sorry, I need to come back!’ We have no such luxury. This preparation phase is exactly like that. If someone withdraws at this point, it’s highly likely the patient will die from bone marrow failure. At this stage, I believe legal measures and penalties should be imposed on donors who back out. You have the right to withdraw at any time, but please, do not withdraw when the transplant is just around the corner!”
WHO CAN BE A DONOR?
“Anyone between the ages of 18 and 50, without any chronic or infectious diseases (such as hepatitis B or C).”
NEWS LINK: https://www.hurriyet.com.tr/yazarlar/ayse-arman/iyilik-zamani-ilik-zamani-41338757