All the information you need is on the website: http://www.bethematch.org. This organization will walk you through every detail and answer every question about donation. Here are the basics:

1. The first step is to join the registry online at the website. If you are between the ages of 18 and 44, patients especially need you. Research shows that cells from younger donors lead to more successful transplants. Doctors request donors in the 18-44 age group more than 95% of the time. If you are between the ages of 45 and 60 and want to join the registry, you’re welcome to join online with a $100 tax-deductible payment to cover the cost to join.

2. A kit will be sent to you. You will swab the inside of your cheek and send in the sample.
If you are a potential match for a patient, you will be contacted at any or all steps of the patient search process. At each stage you will be asked to:
• Confirm your willingness to move forward.
• Sign a consent form.
• Complete questions about your health so that donation is safe for you and the patient. See medical guidelines when you match a patient for more information.
• Confirm your contact information.
• Discuss any questions you have about additional testing and the donation process.

3. All medical expenses related to additional testing and donation will be covered by the patient’s insurance or by Be The Match®.
 
4. Although there are two procedures that are options to be used, Jaron’s doctors have determined that surgical procedure is the one that his donor will need to use. This takes place in a hospital operating room. Doctors use needles to withdraw liquid marrow (where the body’s blood-forming cells are made) from both sides of the back of your pelvic bone. You will be given anesthesia and feel no pain during the donation. After donation, your liquid marrow is transported to the patient’s location for transplant. Typically, the hospital stay for marrow donation is from early morning to late afternoon, or occasionally overnight for observation. The donation will take place in a hospital that is experienced and participates in marrow collections for Be The Match® Obviously, if the donor is close to Jackson, the surgery will be done at UMMC.

5. There are possible side effects. Common side effects of marrow donation reported 2 days after donation: Back or hip pain 84%, Fatigue 61%, Throat pain 32%, Muscle pain 24%, Insomnia 15%, Headache 14%, Dizziness 10%, Loss of appetite 10%, Nausea 9%.

6. Marrow and PBSC donors should expect to return to work, school and most other activities within 1 to 7 days. Your marrow will return to normal levels within a few weeks. It’s important to note that bone marrow donor recovery times will vary depending on the individual and the type of donation.

7. How likely is it that you will be matched to a patient in need? On average, about 1 in 430 U.S. Be The Match Registry members will go on to donate bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) to a patient. Because of the vast variation in tissue types, we can’t predict an individual registry member’s chance of donating to a patient. If you have a relatively common tissue type, you might be one of many who could match a searching patient. If you have an uncommon tissue type, you may never match a patient, or you might be the only one out of more than 13.5 million potential donors on the registry who can save a person’s life. Every person who joins the registry gives patients more hope of finding the match they need. The most important thing you can do as a registry member is to stay informed and committed so that if you’re selected as the best donor, you’re ready to move forward.
 
8. Becoming a donor requires a time commitment. Before you donate, there are several steps to make sure you are the best donor for the patient. These steps include an information session to provide resources to help you make your decision, as well as appointments for additional blood tests and a physical exam. The time needed for the actual donation depends on the donation procedure. The typical time commitment for the donation process is 20-30 hours of your time spread out over a four-to-six-week period. This does not include travel time, which is defined by air travel and staying overnight in a hotel. Nearly 40% of donors will travel during the donation process.

9. The amount of marrow donated will not weaken your own body or immune system. The average amount of marrow and blood donated is about one quart, less if the patient is a baby or child. This is only a fraction of your total marrow. Most donors are back to their usual routine in a few days, and your marrow naturally replaces itself within four to six weeks.

Again, this is basic, general information. If you have specific questions, let me know and I will get an answer for you as soon as possible!

Jaron came home today! He is wearing a bag of chemo that he will carry with him 24/7, and will have to go back to the clinic every other day to exchange it for a new one. He seems to be feeling fine (fine is relative!), with no side effects so far. We expect him to lose his hair again, but we don’t know when that will happen. Let us say again that the nurses and doctors at Batson are fantastic – we could not ask for more competent, caring, professional yet personal care than we get at Batson. Besides taking antibiotics and having 2 spinal taps within the next month, it looks like the biggest issue will be getting used to carrying a backpack around. That is, for 28 – 56 days. Thank you again for your prayers and many acts of kindness toward Jaron and our family. We love all of you!

Today we found out about Jaron’s treatments for the next two 28-day phases. The computer randomly chose him for the new treatment called “blinatumomab”. He will be admitted to Batson Tuesday morning and stay in the hospital until probably Friday to be monitored, and then be able to go home and continue the treatments out-patient! He will wear a bag of chemo – in a back pack – everywhere he goes for 28 days, and if all goes well another 28 days. He will have to go back to the clinic every 48 hours to change out the bag. They say that this is probably the cancer treatment of the future that everyone will use. There should be little to no side effects during these phases. We are thankful to be chosen for this, and for him to be able to be home and pretty much go as he pleases for a couple of months. After that, comes the tough part – weeks of hospitalization for the stem cell transplant. But we are not thinking about that now – taking it one day at a time… Very thankful for a new room to rest in for the near future! Please continue to pray for Jaron as he fights and beats this disease. We are incredibly thankful for each of you, and your love, support and prayers!

Jaron is home! Jaron is home in his new room! We are so excited and thankful. Thank you to all who have donated their money, time, and effort and sacrificed from their daily activities in order to make this happen. Jaron goes back to the clinic Wednesday for chemo and then by Friday or next Monday we will know the course of action for the next phase of treatment. We will update you when we know more. Thank you for sharing this journey with us – to God be the glory!

Jaron’s blood counts have fallen, so it looks like he cannot have treatment until at least Monday. These were supposed to be this past Tuesday, then today, had hoped for tomorrow. So… it looks like he won’t be going home any time soon. He’s mad. I have to admit, we are too. But we will try to be positive and endure as well as we can.

The mouth sores are better, so he was able to sit up at a table for a while last night and eat a baked potato and some mac and cheese.

They are beginning to instruct and prepare us for what’s coming over the next six months of treatment with the bone marrow transplant. “Faith muscles” get weak at times. Moses had Aaron and Hur to hold his arms up, so we are dependent on your prayers and support. I can’t tell you how much it means to us.

The Room Project needs a little more work, but looks great.

We love all of you, and are very thankful for you.

Several people have asked – the answer is YES you can donate blood in Jaron’s name. That doesn’t mean that he will necessarily get that exact blood, but it will “credit his bank” so that it will benefit him in the long run – or possibly be used for someone else in critical need. Just contact MS Blood Services on Lakeland Drive or even just drop by. Or contact your local blood bank. Thank you

Update:

On Jaron, he is still in hospital. Mouth sores have been so bad that he has not eaten (couldn’t talk for a long time) but they are better today. He ate some soup last night. Blood counts were too low to have chemo treatment procedures done this morning, so we are looking at hopefully Thursday. As soon as he can eat solid food, he can go home. Today is the last day of the 28 day treatment, but with the delays the schedule expands. It is re-examined day by day. We don’t know details about the next phase of treatment at this point. But there are several more treatments of intense chemo to come.

On the Room Project, it is looking great! Just a few things to be finished and it will be ready. Hopefully finished by the time he gets home – but if not, it will be ok. We will post pics of before and after – it is really remarkable. Somehow we try to find a way to say THANK YOU to so many people for all the time, hard work, money and sacrifice that has gone into this project. We hope and pray it will provide him comfort and security, and expedite his healing!

We will update again on Thursday regarding his treatment, or before if he happens to be able to go home. Thank you for enduring with us in prayer.

I am asking all of our friends that would like to, to join us Thursday night, June 29 at 9:00 Central Time, to pause what you are doing for FIVE MINUTES, and pray for our son Jaron right where you are. (Would you set your alarm on your phone right now to remind you?) We believe in the power of prayer, and we believe in the power of agreement!

“Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭18:19-20‬

Here is how I would ask you to pray: spend the first portion of your time focused on praising our Father, simply for Who He is. Allow him to show you a glimpse of His glory! Then, I would like for you to ask the Holy Spirit, “What is it that You would have me pray for Jaron?” And then pray ONLY THAT. We all know the basics of what we feel Jaron needs, but I’d like us to agree together for what GOD wants for Jaron! Of course, if you feel like praying longer than 5 minutes, please do! But I would like for the hundreds (and into the thousands) of us who love Jaron to agree together with the Holy Spirit-led petitions for him for at least the first five minutes.

That’s it! I would only add that we may do this again at a later date. And that if there is something that YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY SURE that the Spirit spoke to you, that you need to share with us or Jaron, please do. We are not necessarily looking for instruction – we are simply focusing on prayer for Jaron, but we want to be willing to accept words from the Lord, if we are absolutely sure that He spoke them.

Thank you all so much! We believe God answers prayer!

As you pray this morning:
1. Pray for the nurses who work so hard – focused, and diligent for 12 hours at a time, 5 or 7 days or nights in a row. All with a caring, smiling, loving attitude in the midst of pain and suffering for patients, and concern and a million questions by parents.
2. Children and families here on pediatric cancer floor of Batson hospital:

Jordan
Hanberry
Hood
Taylor
Palmer
Gibbs
House
Lee
Porter
Green
Martinez
Thompson
King

Some of these families have financial needs as well. Some with single parent situations.
3. Encouragement and the light of hope deep into Jaron’s spirit. He is really, really struggling to be positive or to make any sense of any of this. He literally wants to sleep through these 28 days.
4. Mouth sores, throat sores and heartburn to go away. It’s hard to even talk or open his mouth to put a thermometer in to check his temp – much less eat anything. It’s been like this for over a week; he hasn’t eaten anything solid in 2,3 weeks. He has had two 24-hour nutrient bags this weekend via IV, along with antibiotics, fluids, blood and platelets. Sometimes as many as 5 different bags at once. Plus a separate IV at one point.
4. Fever to go away. His blood counts are so low that he has nothing to fight infection, so his temp can spike at any point; it has been as high as 103.1, but mostly between 101.1 and 102.4. Last night they had to bring in a “cold blanket” and turn it down to 63 degrees to get it to fall, and it went right back up.
5. Doctors for wisdom in how to proceed, both for the duration of the 28 days and then for a clear course of action after that. It almost assuredly will be a bone marrow transplant; all 3 of our family are having our blood tested to find a perfect match. That would be in several weeks from now. Melody is extremely nervous about this; she is most likely the best candidate for a match.

Thank you for your loving support and your faithfulness to pray during this time in Jaron’s journey – we are dependent on your prayers! We trust God is in control and He knows what is best for our journey. 1 Peter 5:10,11.

All of us go through everyday life operating in 3 categories:  Thinking, Feeling, and Doing.  Different temperaments function accordingly.  For instance, I am: 

Feeling first, thinking second, doing third

I tend to feel a certain way, and then I usually need to think about it for a period of time before I finally act on something.  

Some people ponder a decision, act upon it, and then feel excited, guilty, proud, dismayed for days, weeks or years because of their decision.  Others may fly off the handle and act, then consider it, and finally suppress their feelings about what they did.  

Because I “feel” first, I think this may have affected my daily walk with Christ.  Simply put, sometimes if I don’t “feel” the Spirit leading me, I never get around to it.  And that’s not what Jesus is calling me to.  He wants me to walk with Him and “think” through it, even if my feelings are not into it that day.  That shows commitment.  Only doing it when I “feel led to” is not commitment – it requires no faith at all.    

I want to encourage all of us – myself primarily – to push through the feelings about our daily walk with Christ.  He never said that it would be easy, that we would feel like we are walking on a cloud all the time.  A tract from Billy Graham I read one time said that the “feelings” of Christianity are like a caboose on a train – it’s fine to have them as long as they don’t control our train like the engine does (the engine is Faith!).  

Allow Jesus to be real with you today.  Not some funny new age visualization, but actually “faithing” Him to walk and talk to you as you go about your life today.  That’s really WWJD – He would accompany you in whatever you are doing.  If you feel good about it, thank Him!  If the feelings are not there, walk in faith anyway.  He will always be with us, and as we use those spiritual “faith muscles” He will strengthen us as we go.  

I’d love to hear about your experiences with Him!  

God bless you!