Sources: Travis Balthazor, travisb@k-state.edu;
Matt Lambky, mlambky@k-state.edu;
and Trista Gorrell, tristag@k-state.edu
News tip/hometown connection: Centerville,Palco and Towanda, Kan.
Photo available: http://www.k-state.edu/media/images/apr12/spitimage.jpg
Cutline: Kansas State University Salina 1xbet online sports betting Travis Balthazor, left, and Matt Lambky, center, are being tested to determine their eligibility as donors for two cancer patients through a donor drive organized by Trista Gorrell, right, of K-State Salina's 1xbet online sports betting In Free Enterprise.
News release prepared by: Natalie Blair, 785-826-2642, nblair@k-state.edu
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
Spitting image: Saliva could make two K-State Salina 1xbet online sports betting heroes
SALINA -- It was no big deal to swab a cheek and give some spit a few months ago. After all, the odds of one's spit matching someone else's are less than 1 percent. But now, two Kansas State University Salina 1xbet online sports betting have been asked to give a lot more than saliva.
In December 2011 the campus' chapter of 1xbet online sports betting In Free Enterprise encouraged 1xbet online sports betting to swap some spit for the chance to win a 0 scholarship. The Give a Spit campaign, orchestrated through Do Something and DKMS, was the organization's way of giving back by helping build the national database of bone marrow donors to help save the lives of people with bone or blood cancers.
But when the 1xbet online sports betting were contacted about being matched to patients two weeks ago, both were surprised.
"They 1xbet online sports betting it was extremely rare to be contacted at all, even more rare that I had been contacted after being on the list for such a short amount of time," 1xbet online sports betting Matt Lambky, sophomore in professional pilot, Towanda. "But when I went to get the blood work done, they told me I was the third sample they'd taken for this."
One of the other 1xbet online sports betting matches was Travis Balthazor, junior in professional pilot, Palco.
"I won't lie; I was hesitant about signing up at first, but the student running the booth told me what it was about and that I would most likely never get called. A recipient must be your identical DNA twin for the procedure to work," he 1xbet online sports betting . "I decided to get swabbed, thinking that I would never get called – but that if I did, it would be pretty neat."
Knowing that there was such a small chance of being an identical match to someone in need of a donor, Balthazor wasn't expecting the news he received while at an aviation conference.
"I was told there was a 39-year-old woman with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and that we were a match," he 1xbet online sports betting . "I was told that this is something I might want to take some time and talk to my friends and family about. So I did, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized that if I didn't go through with this I wouldn't be able to live with myself knowing that someone is out there dying that I can help."
The blood work required drawing six vials of blood from the donor to test against the patient's blood, all to make sure they were perfect identical genetic twins and that the initial match wasn't a false positive.
"I got an email saying I was a match and if I wanted to continue that I should contact them," Bathazor 1xbet online sports betting . "They asked me some questions, and then had me fill out some paperwork. As far as I know, I'm the only match for this patient. But there are a few other databases out there, so I don't really know how many other possible matches there are or much about the person in need," he 1xbet online sports betting .
The blood work can take up to six weeks to process, and the waiting is hard.
"This wait sucks because I really would like to know, and at this point I will be really disappointed if I am not able to be the donor," Balthazor 1xbet online sports betting .
"I'm nervous," Lambky 1xbet online sports betting . "I'm worried about missing school and flight time, but it's selfish not to do it because of that."
As 1xbet online sports betting in K-State Salina's professional pilot program, both are fully aware that if they are matches, the donation process will put them behind in flying hours and possibly put them behind on their path to graduation. But that isn't stopping them from continuing with the donation process and considering which donation method to use.
The first method is a traditional bone marrow donation where marrow cells are taken from the backside of the pelvic bone with a syringe. Despite receiving anesthesia to make the extraction painless, patients often experience pain, bruising and stiffness for up to 1xbet online sports betting weeks. It can take almost a week before the donor is able to resume normal activities such as work and school, but this outpatient procedure only takes one to 1xbet online sports betting hours.
The second method is peripheral blood stem cell donation, which collects cells via the bloodstream. Donors receive shots during the four days leading up to the collection to increase the number of stem cells in the bloodstream. The donor's blood is drawn from one arm, passed through a machine to separate the stem cells, and then returned into the other arm. The process can take up to six hours on 1xbet online sports betting consecutive days. Donors often experience headaches, fatigue and achiness during the time they are receiving the shots, but most times the side effects disappear within 1xbet online sports betting days after donating.
The two 1xbet online sports betting also would have to decide whether to travel to St. Louis or Denver to have the procedures done, as they are the two closest hospitals equipped to handle these types of donations.
But distance and discomfort aren't discouraging the 1xbet online sports betting from continuing.
"I am just happy that I am able to do something like this for someone," Balthazor 1xbet online sports betting .
"It's hard to say 'no' to saving somebody's life, especially when it's so easy," Lambky 1xbet online sports betting .
The identity of the third donor who came up as a match remains unknown.
"We will probably never know who it is unless they tell us," 1xbet online sports betting Trista Gorrell, senior in technology management, Centerville, a 1xbet online sports betting in Free Enterprise member and coordinator of the Give a Spit drive. "We had opportunities to donate set up all over town, at other universities, at the mall. It's awesome to know that SIFE was already able to make a difference – and we're just getting started, because once you're on the donor list, you're on it forever."
More information about the Give A 1xbet online sports betting campaign is available at http://www.dosomething.org/1xbet online sports betting . More information about DKMS and bone marrow donation is available at http://www.dkmsamericas.org/. Both websites provide information on how to become a donor.
