Things to consider

Please read through all the information on this page

We have provided some information below on how donating may potentially affect your routine and your mental and physical health. Donating can affect everyone in a different way, and while we cannot predict your journey, we want you to be as informed as possible beforehand so you can decide if donating is the right thing for you.

Please read carefully through all the information provided, and if you have any worries, questions or concerns after reading through please get in touch with your coordinator. You'll find their details in any emails they have sent you or if you are not sure please email donorprovision@anthonynolan.org or call 020 7424 6699 to speak to someone in the Donor Provision team.

Things to consider

We have put together a list of things to consider around work and family commitments, your ability to take time out, and your general physical and emotional health.

At Medical

At your medical you’ll be asked a lot of questions around your medical history. You will be sent a copy of the questionnaire in advance of your medical to help you prepare for any questions you may need to think about further. You’ll be asked about personal topics, such as your physical and mental health, your sexual health, and your travel history. Your answers will stay completely confidential between you, Anthony Nolan, and medical staff.

Your veins will be assessed to see how likely it is you may require a central line, which you can read about here. It is important to note this could change on day of donation depending on the accessibility of your veins that day.

Once we have all the results from your medical, we will be able to see if based on the results you can proceed to donation. Sometimes things may come out of the medical that mean you are not suitable to donate, or require further investigation before we can proceed. This will be discussed with you at the time.

If your sex assigned at birth is female you will be asked to do a pregnancy test as you are unable to donate if you’re pregnant. Depending on the type of donation you will be asked to do additional tests throughout the process at various stages.

Pre - donation

Your donor journey is individual to you. As such, there are things you might not be able to plan for in advance, or that may change at the last minute. But we’ll keep you informed as much as we can, in the way that works best for you. Some things will need a phone call, but for others, we can email or text – please let your coordinator know what you’d prefer.

Things to consider

• Your coordinator may change – but if they’re out of the office for any reason, you’ll still be supported by one of the team
• Your donation could be delayed, postponed, cancelled, or rescheduled at any time
• If your donation is delayed after you have attended your medical, and the new dates are more than 30 days away you will have to repeat some medical tests as some of the labs results expire. Similarly if the donation dates are more than 60 days repeat testing is required and if the new dates are over 6 months from the original medical you will need to attend another one at the collection centre
• If you have any phobias that may affect your ability to donate (for example, it’s quite common to have a fear of needles), consider how you’ll handle this, and ask for help if you need it. Phobias can be managed, so please let your coordinator know if you have any concerns
• You’ll need to be upfront with your employer or place of education about what you’re going through, because your planned dates may change at short notice, and you may need more time off to go to medical appointments. As mentioned we can provide a letter to explain what you are doing and can speak to employers or educators if needed
• If you’re donating for personal reasons the process might bring up difficult emotions or memories. Please consider how you’ll manage your emotional wellbeing if this is the case for you
• If you’re donating via the Peripheral Blood Stem Cell method (PBSC) you might experience side effects from the G-CSF injections you’ll be given to stimulate your body’s production of stem cells. You can read more about GCSF injections and potential side affects here

During donation

Things to consider:

• You’ll have to travel from home to your collection centre for the medical, but we’ll try to get a nurse to you for any repeat blood tests if that’s more convenient
• You may not be allowed anyone to stay with you while you donate, ask your coordinator about your collection centre
• There can be a lot of waiting around during donation – it can help to bring something to read, listen to, or work on

For Peripheral Blood Stem Cell (PBSC) donation specifically: 

• You may need to donate over two days for various factors such as patient weight or the requested cell count being high. It is found that two day donations are more likely for female donors however this is not always the case. If a 2 day donation is required it may mean an overnight stay if you don’t live locally to the collection centre where you donate. To read more about about this please click here
• If you are donating to a patient, you may need to donate via a central line in your neck or groin if the veins in your arms aren’t found to be suitable for donation. This would mean an overnight stay in the hospital or collection centre if you need to go to a second day. At your medical your veins will be assessed to see if this is likely, but it could still happen unexpectedly on the day
• Very occasionally it’s discovered during donation that the G-CSF injections haven’t stimulated enough cell growth, meaning the cell count needed hasn’t been achieved, and Peripheral Blood Stem Cell (PBSC) donation isn’t the best way to collect your stem cells. If this is the case and you are donating to a patient, you’ll be asked if you consent to a bone marrow donation instead, which requires a procedure under general aesthetic and an overnight stay you can read more about bone marrow donation here
• During donation, you can read, watch TV, and eat and drink – but you’ll have to do it all while keeping one arm very still!  

• If you need the toilet once your donation has begun, the nurse will be able to help you with a bedpan, bottle, or commode. 

For Bone Marrow (BM) donation specifically: 

• You’ll need to stay in hospital for 2 nights, so please have a think about any commitments you might have that someone else will need to do for you. You’ll be able to bring someone with you, but they will have to stay in a hotel room, and not at the hospital with you
• Your operation usually takes place early in the morning and you’ll have a general anaesthetic. After the procedure, you’ll return to the ward to recover and stay for a second night before being discharged the next day. Most donors feel sore and tired – your hospital will let you know what pain relief you can take
• We suggest you take a week off work (depending on how active your job is) and avoid physical activity for two weeks after your donation, so it's important you think about what this means for you and whether you need to plan some extra support at home while you recover
• This procedure is only used when donating for a patient, you will not be asked to donate Bone Marrow for research

Post-donation

You’ll have just done an incredible thing – so, first things first, thank you! Your donation could be a lifesaver for your patient, or be part of ground breaking research. But remember to look after yourself, too.

Things to consider:

• Your recovery 
  After donating you may be feeling emotional, this is perfectly normal and happens to lots of donors. No matter your recovery process we have a dedicated follow up team who will look after you following on from your donation
  
  For PBSC donations, most donors (72%) take 2 or 3 days to recover. For bone marrow donations, it usually takes between 7 and 10 days to recover, but occasionally it can take longer – some people need between 7 and 30 days. The most common are tiredness, mild aches and pains, and some pain or bruising around the donation site. You can read more about what to expect post donation here

• Your patient 
  
  Your cells may be transplanted to a patient anywhere in the world. We’ll try to get an update on how the patient is after their transplant, but in around 1/10 cases, we either can’t get or aren’t allowed this information.  
  
  Please also consider that you may not be able to write to your recipient, or hear back from them. In fact, it’s more likely than not you’ll never meet the person to whom you’re donating, whether that’s down to country-specific rules around patient/donor contact, or patient choice. As well, your cells may not end up being used after you donate them – if, for example, your patient becomes too ill to receive them. Also bear in mind your patient may sadly die after their transplant, and think about how you might cope if this happens. 

• Donating towards research
  
  By donating your cells to research you have the opportunity to impact even more lives. One donation for a research study could unlock new discoveries and help shape the future of treatments.
  
  Outcomes from research take time to flourish and be impactful, this can take months and sometimes years. If you would like to find out about the outcome of the research study, you're involved in please contact your coordinator at any point who will contact the researcher. We are always keen to find out how our donor's cells have made an impact and would love to be able to update you if we can.