RAF Mildenhall Lodging Operation Manager donates marrow to save a life

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Rachel Waller
  • 100th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
RAF MILDENHALL, England --  The 100th Force Support Squadron assistant lodging operations manager joined the Air Force in August of 1994 to travel and get away from home but little did he know that 17 years later he would be saving a life.

Tech. Sgt. Herman Jackson's blood stem cells were a match for a 52-year-old male cancer patient through the C.W. Bill Young Department of Defense Marrow Donor program.

"I registered (for the program) during the 2007, 2008 timeframe at Pope Air Force Base, N.C. during cancer awareness week," said the Pine Bluff, Ark. native.

Jackson said it was simple to register to become a donor.

Jackson filled out a packet of information about himself and his medical history, signed a consent form and had four cotton swabs swiped around inside of his cheeks.

According to the donor program's website, the cotton swabs are used to determine a potential donor's tissue compatibility at the Navy human leukocyte antigen testing laboratory. Once the HLA is determined, this information along with the information from the questionnaire is added to the DOD and National Marrow Donor Program Registry.

Jackson said that a person remains on the database until they decide to take themselves off.

In the early part of August 2011, Jackson said his mom received a phone call from the donor program.

"It was exciting," said Jackson. "She (counselor) asked me if I was still interested in it, and I was."

Jackson explained that there are two different procedures to donate marrow. The first procedure takes marrow straight from the pelvic bone. The second procedure collects peripheral blood stem cells. The recipient patient's needs determine the donation method. In Jackson's case, the patient needed PBSC.

He explained that the first step of the process was a 45-minute phone interview, where the technician gathered information about his medical background to ensure he was disease free.

"After that, I went to the (48th Medical Group) clinic, and they drew some blood, then mailed it off," said Jackson.

The blood was analyzed and confirmed Jackson didn't have any harmful diseases and his blood stem cells were a match to the patient.

After the initial assessment, Jackson said that he received a phone call from a program counselor saying he was likely donor.

The sergeant also said he had to get a letter signed by his commander stating that he was a bone marrow donor candidate. The letter was then returned to the program.

"Once they received it, the counselor contacted me again and asked if I was still interested," he said. "I had to go back to the clinic and have more blood drawn."

According to the donor program's website, a program coordinator works with a potential donor to ensure they are fully informed about donating marrow. At any point in the process, an individual can decide not to donate.

After the final blood assessment, Jackson said he was declared disease free. The medical staff at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington D.C. wanted to know how soon he could get there.

"It took about a month or so from the initial phone call to get through the initial process. At the same time (the lab was) working to find out if I was a match and the patient is going through his treatment," said Jackson.

The program flew Jackson, his wife and their two children to the hospital to begin the PBSC process.

"I arrived on a Saturday, and Sunday morning, I went in to the hospital," said Jackson. "The technician did a blood pressure check, asked me some questions, and then gave me an injection of medication called filgrastim in the back of both arms to increase my blood stem cells, and then they sent me on my way. The entire process took 20 minutes."

Jackson explained that for four days, the staff at the hospital gave him daily injections of filgrastim.

"The most painful part wasn't the injections but the increase in the white blood cells in my body," said Jackson. "It gave me headaches and back pain."

"On the fifth day, they gave me another injection and then attached a needle to my arm that ran to a machine," said Jackson. "The machine separated out the excess blood stem cells, and whatever wasn't taken was put back in me through a needle in my other arm."

Jackson said his recovery from the procedure was quick but depending on a person's pain tolerance recovery time can vary.

The sergeant said the donor program contacted him in March to let him know the patient was doing well and to see if he would be interested in doing another PBSC if the patient needed it.

In order to donate again, Jackson explained that he has to wait a year, but he is looking forward to potentially helping somebody else in the future.

"I helped somebody," said Jackson with a content smile. "I hope I made a difference- that the patient will have a longer life to enjoy with their family and friends."

Editor's note: Individuals interested in participating in the donor program can find more information at www.dodmarrow.org.