Coincidence??? Maybe!?!?!

I saw a posting on my FB "news feed" page.  And it really struck me and made me begin to think about my transplant and the process that took place.  They say a sibling is one of the best ways to find a match.  The process began with finding whether my brother was a match or not.  Unfortunately, in my case, my brother was not a match.  So, my doctor and the transplant team, began the search for a donor within the United States.  At the time, we were told that out of 4 million donors, in the United States, not one person was a match.  This was very disheartening to hear and we began to worry about what this would mean.  Does this mean my days are numbered?  Do I need to make peace with myself, my husband and children, my family and friends and with God?

This was a very scary time, but we were given the hope that there may be someone out there beyond the United States.  My doctor and transplant team began the search outside of the U.S.  We were notified that two donors have been found and both are of European origin.  Furthermore, we were told that these two donors were 100% matches!!!  It's really amazing to think that there are, at least, two individuals out there in this world, that identically match my marrow.  At the time, my mom made the statement about whether it could be a person who is in some way a distant relative.  After she made the statement, I really hadn't thought about it or have even discussed it with anyone.  But after seeing this posting today, I began to think more about it.

How amazing this could be!!!  I'm very lucky to be able to know that my mom is 100% Slovak (ancestors from Czechoslovakia) and my dad is 100% French.  Could it be that my donor or donors could be a distant relative?  My mom's great-grandgrandparents immigrated from Czechoslovakia more recently than my dad's family.  Could it be that one of my donor's could be Slovakian, or could it just possibly be someone from my French heritage? 

One of the things that I love about my website is the ability I have to see, in the world, who is accessing my website.  The majority of the hits, outside of the U.S., are Russia, France and Germany.  Could my donor be one of these individuals?  Or even better, could my donor be a distant relative?  I'm so excited to further explore this. 

I won't be able to further look into this until my two year transplant anniversary, which is just a month away.  At that time, if I choose, I am able to make contact and write to my donor.  It is then up to my donor whether they want to respond or not.  I am really hoping that this individual would like to make contact, not only so I can "thank" her for her precious gift of life, but so I can also see if she and I may have some ancestral connection.

One thing I learned is that there is a difference between donors in the United States and international donors.  We were told that most European countries expect their populations to be donors in some form.  It is expected of them to do this and looked upon as something you do.  Where as in the U.S., it is more of a matter of choice than expected.  So, this may become a factor when trying to make contact with my donor.

I am hoping and praying that she does want to communicate with me.  Either way, whether she does or doesn't, I am extremely grateful, to both women, for this unselfish gift of giving another human being the chance at life. 

So, if you are reading this from across the seas, and you are a bone marrow donor, you may just be the one that has given me another chance at life.  A chance to remain a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister, a cousin, an aunt, and a friend to those around me.  Words cannot express enough, the gratitude I have!!!