The Roman philosopher Cicero said “In nothing do men more nearly approach the gods than in giving health to men.” At times you will meet a doctor who buys this. More times, however, you will meet patients who do. As was the case with an older gentleman I spoke with briefly in a waiting room [...]
I check my e-mail often. Once, twice, fifteen times a day. My messages are always read in the order they’re received.
The first is from an old friend who wants to do know what they can do to help. Anything, they write, really anything you need. They ask me how I’m feeling, if I think I’m [...]
As I’ve mentioned in the past, my insurance company will not cover the search for a bone marrow donor.
On Oct.13 they sent an official letter of denial, describing the “search and cell acquisition as a non-covered incidental.”
I’ve responded with a letter of appeal. My expectation is they will issue a more formal denial from the [...]
It may seem as if what you’re about to read has nothing to do with healthcare or health or care—but it has to do with my general well-being, and therefore health and therefore healthcare, and so it belongs on this blog.
Just after 12 a.m. I watched the New York Yankees win the American League pennant. [...]
Found this list of 50 quick facts about blood donation on the American Red Cross site, below I’ve included some of my favorites:
“—More than 38,000 blood donations are needed every day
—One out of every 10 people admitted in a hospital needs blood
—A single car accident victim can require as many as 100 units of blood. [...]
I’m transfusion dependent. Without the blood of others, I’d be in bad shape. Its been that way for nearly eight weeks. Sorry to say I have never given blood, never given platelets. Not once. Something I read today…every 2 seconds someone in the United States needs blood. 5% of the eligible US population donates blood [...]
The many people who have become members of the bone marrow registry after hearing of my diagnosis, thank you. A point of confusion has been the apparent $50 fee associated with the HLA Registry.
Fifty bucks is a heavy charge, especially for a kind act, especially in this current economy.
After a few phone calls, a [...]
The above video ran in 2008 on ABC 7, the importance of the message is not time sensitive—-get involved. The expectations of this blog are modest, but the one thing I demand from it is the proliferation of general awareness and participation in bone marrow registration as well as blood donation.
Type in your zip code [...]
I started a new treatment on Tueday, July 14th at 2:30am, the same treatment a reader addressed last week, below is a snippet of her comment.
I have aplastic anemia, but am 4 yrs in “remission” after ATG & Cyclosporin treatment. My sister is a bone marrow match, but the immunosuppressive therapy worked for me. Diagnosed at 16, now [...]
I ended up needing a blood transfusion today, just a single unit of platelets– those little, sticky blood cells that help stop bleeding. The lifespan of platelets range from six to ten days, the shortest second shortest of the the blood cell line (which also includes red and white blood cells, which have the shortest lifespan 1-2 days) so the transfusion—even [...]
A. Anemia News
