Bone marrow donation is a simple way to save someone's life.
While I'm climbing, and when I'm belayed by a person who i know really well, I really trust him,
and of course he has a big responsibility.
But while I'm climbing in overhanging routes, or on a sport climb
that is pretty well bolted, I don't have any fear,
because I trust the belayer and I'm in his hands.
When I'm belaying myself, of course is pretty much the same way:
I feel the responsibility that the climber who I'm belaying
can feel completely safe, and he can feel he is in safe hands, and nothing can happen.
I decided to be a potential bone marrow donor
while we were with Pietro dal Prà in Madagascar, and we were chatting about this theme,
and I realized that if there is such a little thing that could help so much to save someone's life,
why not to do it?
As I got back home, I checked out on the internet
where there are the centers in my town where I can give the blood sample test
in order to become a potential bone marrow donor.
So I went into the hospital and it took about half an hour,
it took just one blood test, and it was done.
No queues, no waiting in the queues, it was fast, in half an hour I can go climbing.
At first it felt pretty much as a random thing.
It wasn't that much special.
At one point i just told myself that it's good, i made something great and I'm waiting for someone to help.
At the same time, if someone occurs that will need my bone marrow, of course I will be happy to do it,
because it's definitely worth of sacrificing a week of my life and getting a bit weaker
for saving someone's life.
right now I'm a potential donor, and it means that I'm in the list of potential donors,
and in the future, if whoever happens to need my bone marrow,
they will call me to the hospital, and then I have two possibilities how to save someone's life.
The first possibility is to take a part of my bone from my hip, that means a surgery, which could be a bit painful,
or the second possibility (and the one that is used more often) is to take four days some pills prior to the act,
and then they will take the blood from two hands, like this, and they circulate the blood for a couple of hours,
and take from the blood whatever they need.
if I had to convince someone to become a potential bone marrow donor
i would say that it's, for me, the easiest way how to save someone's life
and definitely it's worth of saving someone's life for a couple of days of your wasted time,
because a couple of days of wasted time of one person is definitely worth of saving the whole life of someone else.
Bone marrow donation is a simple way to save someone's life, and to feel a little bit as a better person, i would say.
