[aristus]

Note: This applies only to traditional "harvest" surgery and not the new aphereisis method used today.

The surgery itself wasn't great but I was at 80% after a month and 100% after three. No long term effects.

Here's the thing: at every point in the process, interviews, blood tests, health checks, etc, at every point the entire process is explained very carefully and you are told at every point that it is voluntary and you can back out right up the the minute of surgery.

Except. The recipient has their marrow irradiated and killed a week before you show up to donate. So you better make that appointment. Of course all voluntary. It was a real mindfuck of a whipsaw of emotions going in, and then months of zero information after.

It's hard to explain the feeling of holding another anonymous kid's life in your hands. I'd cry for a week every year around that time, and then the survey phone call.

The story worked out for us. I got to meet him a couple years later and was just invited to his wedding.

[noman-land]

Thanks for sharing your story.