A bone marrow donation through the eyes of a spouse

Posted

First person

By Malka Eisenberg

Issue of August 29, 2008

My husband, Steven Eisenberg, got the call on his cell phone in his office. The Gift of Life contact person said that he was a possible match and they had to verify if he could be a donor very quickly because the intended recipient was in bad shape. It was an emergency.

Steve tends to shun the spotlight, but felt that it was important to publicize the need to save lives through painless stem cell donations.

We learned on Sunday that five possible donors for Gary Schnitzer had been approached and all turned down the request for further testing to determine matching status.

Four years ago the Gift of Life held a donor drive at Young Israel of Woodmere and Steve was swabbed. didn’t think of it again until that phone call in September 2006. As per instructions Steve went to his internist (he could also have gone to New York Hospital) to get a blood test to see if he was a match. He got a call back soon after that he was. He had to go right away to New York Hospital for further testing and a full physical from one of the transplant doctors to be sure that the procedure would be safe for Steve and the recipient.

“They are careful about informing you and insuring your safety,” Steve pointed out. “The Gift of Life organization is very attentive to that.”

Steve consulted with some rabbis in the community; two said that it’s a mitzvah and they wished they could do it. An oncologist we respect reassured Steve that there are no long-term consequences from the use of Nupigen, the drug used to increase stem cells, and he said he would donate if asked. Steve also spoke to a physician who does stem cell transplants, and his personal physician, and both reassured him and said that they would donate themselves. He also spoke to a donor who said he would do it again if asked.

After some Nupigen injections, Steve was hooked up to a centrifuge machine in the hospital. It took a few hours; Steve ate and listened to daf yomi recordings while his stem cells accumulated in a plastic bag.

The shots, he said, “made me feel like an old man. My arms and legs were very tired, but it was not painful. I was tired for a day and a half after, but after that I felt fine. The day after that I felt nothing at all.” Steve returned to work in his dental office the first afternoon after.

“The organization was wonderful,” he noted. “They kept everything confidential and called to check up.” They called in the days, weeks and months following to be sure that Steve was ok.

I had tears in my eyes when we met the recipient and his family. Realizing the bond that my husband and the recipient have, and now our families, is very moving.

Anyone interested in donating should discuss the possible risks with their own doctor and discuss with the Gift of Life any ramifications and possible side effects. It is imperative for Jewish families to be tested, particularly those of Ashkenazi descent, since so many genetic lines were cut in the Holocaust.

“It’s similar to a lottery ticket,” points out Steve. “The odds are about the same, but if you get called it’s a jackpot for the recipient and for you, for the mitzvah. If you get called, you should do the right thing.”