CMU medical student donates marrow to patient in need through National Marrow Donor Program

Nearly two years ago, CMU medical student Johnny Chen stopped by an application event for the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) hosted by the Asian Pacific American Medical Student Association. He was eager to join the program and quickly completed the simple steps to register himself as a potential marrow donor.

Just this month, on October 12, Johnny was in New York completing a peripheral blood stem cell donation to aid a patient battling acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL).

On average, most people who join the NDMP registry wait 7 years or longer before they are matched to a patient in need. For Johnny, the wait was much shorter.

“It’s almost no surprise I got matched so early because I am of Asian descent,” said Johnny. “There is a correlation with race and the success rate of the procedure, but the Asian population in the registry is so small that there is a higher likelihood that Asian donors will get matched.”

Johnny would like to see that change. He wants anyone considering joining the NDMP, especially those of Asian descent, to know that the donation process is fairly easy for donors.

“Times have changed,” Johnny said. “We have the peripheral donation method now, so if you’re comfortable giving blood, you will be just as comfortable giving bone marrow. And we need more people on the registry. There are a lot of people out there who need matches.”

For Johnny, the process started with a nose swab, which he administered himself and mailed back to NDMP, along with some basic demographic information. In early fall, he was contacted by an NDMP representative and informed that he matched with an ALL patient in need of a marrow transplant. They explained the process, and Johnny agreed to move forward with the donation.

The next steps involved some blood work and a physical exam. Data from these tests was also shared with NDMP to ensure they had the best match for the patient. Four days before the donation, he began daily injections of Filgrastim to boost stem cell production, and NMDP covered his daily doses of Tums and Tylenol to mitigate any adverse effects. During that time, he was also reporting his temperature, blood pressure, and any side effects back to NDMP

“That was fun,” laughed Johnny, “because I got my peers to take my blood pressure and my temperature and all that for four days.”

The NDMP provided Johnny with a complete itinerary and accommodations, making his trip to New York hassle-free. They also brought his fiancée in from another state to offer him support during and after the procedure. They arrived together at the blood center and were welcomed by a team waiting to begin the process.

The peripheral blood stem cell donation process is similar to a double-red blood donation. An IV is used to draw blood from one arm and filter it through a machine to separate the component containing the stem cells. The remaining blood is then returned to the donor’s other arm through a second IV.

Although the average donation time is 4 to 8 hours, Johnny’s procedure took just three hours and filtered 11 liters of blood. He did experience some mild tingling and fatigue about halfway through, but he said, “By the end of the process, I was feeling 100% again.”

As a medical student at the Covenant HealthCare College of Medicine at CMU, he was not nervous about the procedure itself, but he was concerned that the process might not fit well with his rigorous schedule. He was pleased to receive understanding, support and genuine encouragement from his instructors and peers.

Johnny is glad he joined the NDMP registry, and he is humble about his donation. “I just feel like, if this is something I can do, I’m happy to do it. It doesn’t need to be a big thing; it’s just good to help out a fellow person.”