Let's follow up with Catherine, my helpful friend. She joined online early last week (May 5th), and just this past Wednesday (May 14) she received her Kit in the mail. Now she's ready for Step Two!
STEP TWO: Swab It Up!
1. You will receive a letter from Be The Match!
Yeah, I thought it would be a box also, but it's a normal sized letter! You don't have to sign for it or anything. How convenient!
2. Inside are three things: a letter from Be The Match, an informational pamphlet on the donation process (if you are chosen), and your cheek swab kit (which is already inside a prepaid envelope).
Postage is already paid! No need to buy stamps or wait in line at the post office.
3. Read the letter and the information.
It's pretty much the same information you can find on the Be The Match website, here.
4. Open your Kit!
Inside are directions, 4 cheek swabs, and a sheet of sticky labels with barcodes.
6. After reading the directions, put the labels on the ends of each swab stick.
If the labels are not already attached, you can attach the labels during any point in the swabbing. Just make sure you put the labels on before you mail back your swabs.
(Optional) Give kitty a pet.
7. Start swabbing!
8. Place swab back in the kit.
9. Repeat Steps 7-8 as per the directions.
When you've run out of swabs, you should have this:
10. Place kit with swabs into the prepaid envelope, and seal shut.
11. Grab a beer because you are awesome!
12. Mail it off and wait for your donor card to arrive in the mail.
Be The Match will send you a Bone Marrow Donor card in the next few months. Use the card to brag to your friends about how awesome you are for joining the bone marrow registry. Everyone will want to be awesome like you, so share this with all your friends so they can be awesome, too!
Check out Part Three, in which my sister describes her donation experience.
No comments:
Post a Comment