Be a Match.

My Mom, Sandra Sholkoff, passed away almost two years ago after a lengthy battle with leukemia. She got an extra three years of life--good, happy years--because of the kindness of an anonymous donor who donated his stem cells so she could have a chance to live.

Anyone can be a match. It's easy and painless to get on the National Bone Marrow registry. You just need to do a mouth swab and send the kit back, and you're on the list. They'll only call you if they need you. You can join the registry here.

When my Mom got sick, the rest of the family joined the Registry. We saw first hand how a donor can give the gift of life. And we needed to join the Registry.

A few months ago, I got a call from the Registry. I was a potential match. I went and had some blood tests, and then didn't hear anything for a few months. Then I got another call, saying that I might be needed to donate, but they would let me know.

About a month ago, I got the Call. I was a match. This led to more blood testing, a physical exam, and signing a whole bunch of waiver forms.

This week I started the donation process. I have had several injections of a drug that stimulates my healthy bone marrow to create more stem cells in my blood, which can then be harvested next week. When the marrow works harder, it can cause some bone discomfort, but this will not be too severe. I've some more rare eye symptoms,but we hope they will go away.

Tomorrow, Monday, I go for collection, the likely first of two days. I'll be connected to all sorts of machines as they get the stem cells from me to give to my recipient.

So no Kadima news today. I hope to be back in the saddle by next week. In the meantime, if you are not on the registry, you need to get on it. There are almost 6,000 people a day trying to find donors.

You can find more information about Bone Marrow Registry, here.