Donating Marrow Exhausting, Rewarding For School Librarian

Debbie Marro had nearly forgotten the extra vial of blood that she gave nearly 11 years ago.

But last May she got a call from the Inland Northwest Blood Bank, saying that the National Bone Marrow Registry had tentatively identified her as a donor for someone who needed a bone marrow transplant.

Marro, 44, is the librarian at East Valley High School. After that phone call, she underwent more tests. Then, she faced the big decision. Did she really want to go through the donor process?

She learned very little about the recipient, only that it was a 14-month-old baby girl.

“I really thought about the parents, and if I were in their place,” Marro said. “I had to do it. Keep in mind that I have 14 nieces and nephews, and I would want someone to do the same for them.”

Marro was up and about five or six days after the surgery, which took place earlier this month. She is still sore now and had to take a day off this week, getting used to new medication.

“I really don’t feel as though I’ve done anything good yet,” she said, shifting uncomfortably in her chair.

All medical expenses were paid, but Marro has used her own sick days for the surgery and recovery. A regular blood donor since she was 18, Marro was asked for an extra vial of blood about 11 years ago, to be entered into the national bone marrow registry.

She said yes, and she hopes that her experience may prompt others to do the same.

Marro is hoping and praying that the little girl, armed with Marro’s bone marrow, will be able to make her own blood and recover from her cancer.

A month after her marrow was given to the little girl, Marro will hear whether the transplant has taken.

In the meantime, Marro fights conflicting emotions. She’s glad she helped. But she wishes she could meet the child and her parents, so that she could more clearly focus her hopes.

“That’s one of the frustrating things, to be so closely involved and yet to not know … There’s nothing you can see or tangibly touch,” Marro said.

If all goes well for a year after the transplant, the recipient and donor may meet. The parents have said they want to meet Marro.

The privacy surrounding the donor is national policy, explains Laura Oiland, supervisor of the bone marrow program at the Inland Northwest Blood Bank. Experience has shown that if the recipient does not do well, the donor may grieve heavily. Or a donor may be asked to donate a second time and, if they choose not to, suffer under pressure from the family. All sorts of scenarios have occurred.

Now, the confidentiality policies are so strong, that Marro doesn’t even know where the baby lives. But that doesn’t stop the emotional connection.

“I really have high hopes for her,” Marro said.