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The patient and donor journey
The patient and donor journeys are interlinked. Each stage has implications for both. Sometimes a donor may be waiting a while to proceed to the next step as a patient completes theirs and vice versa. This interactive timeline summarises the steps the patient and donor go through leading up to and beyond donation day.
01
Join the registry
A donor joins the registry via a blood sample or cheek swab. This sample is sent to a lab to identify the donor’s tissue type. This is what is matched to a patient.
02
Potential Match
Phone call to inform a donor that they are a potential match and ask donors to fill in a health questionnaire. The donor provides a blood sample for additional testing.
03
Confirmed Match
Phone call to inform a donor that they have been selected for donation. Verify interest and complete a quick health assessment to ensure the donor can proceed pending the results of a more thorough medical assessment.
04
Medical Assessment and Education session
“Work-up” is a medical assessment at the hospital where the donation will take place and an education session to go over what to expect throughout the process.
05
Donor Clearance
When a donor has been cleared to donate and the donor has consented to donate.
06
Donation prep
A PBSC donation requires G-CSF injections a few days before donating. If travel is required, the donor and a support person will travel the day prior to donating.
07
Donation
Donors will donate either via PBSC ( 90% of the time) or via bone marrow from the hip while under general anaesthesia.
08
Follow up
After donating, we check in on donors for up to 10 years.
09
Donor and patient contact
After donation, donors and patients may correspond anonymously. Limited clinical updates on the patient’s progress may also be requested. Direct contact between donors and patients is possible contingent on both parties independently agreeing and at least two years post-donation has elapsed.
01
Transplant referral/diagnosis
Patient undergoes tests to diagnose a form of blood cancer or other haematological or immune disorder.
02
Treatment plan development
Patient’s medical team will decide on the best route for treatment, which includes a blood stem cell transplant.
03
Finding the best match
The patient’s medical team will test the patient’s family. If there is no matching donor in the family, the doctor will ask for a search of the registry database that shows the number of potential, closely matched donors worldwide.
04
Donor selected
The patient’s doctor will choose the most suitable donor for the patient, based on the level of HLA match and other factors such as age, sex and availability.
05
Final transplant eligibility testing
Before transplant the patient undergoes additional tests to make sure they are healthy for transplant.
06
Admitted to hospital for transplant preparation
Getting the patient ready for transplant is called a preparative regimen or conditioning regimen. This includes chemotherapy and possibly radiation therapy.
07
Transplant day
The donated cells arrive at the transplant hospital and are infused into the patient.
08
Post-transplant recovery
During the first 30-100 days the patient will be monitored for post-transplant complications and infections. After transplant, the patient’s blood cell count will begin to go up and their immune system becomes stronger.