It feels good to do something for someone else, even if you don't know that someone. Yesterday I donated a sample of breast tissue for the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Tissue Bank at the IU Simon Cancer Center. It was quick, easy, and fairly painless, thanks to the 50 or so volunteers they had at our local Cancer Center. I had heard about the event from a friend, and because I will do anything for a t-shirt, (besides the fact that my mom, aunt, and best friend have all had breast cancer) I signed up. They said the appointment would take one hour, and they were right on the mark. I walked in, signed a consent form, provided a medical history, gave a little blood, and before long, I was with a doctor and an assistant, ready to give the sample. The doctor numbed the area (I felt a little stick and that was it), and took 3 samples from the same area. That was it! The assistant applied pressure to the area for a few minutes, put some gauze on the little, tiny cut, gave me an ice pack, and I was free to go. I got a goody bag, a free smoothie, and could have waited and had a massage, but by then I was feeling a little guilty about all the thanks I was getting for doing such an easy thing.
The Tissue Bank is asking for these donations of breast tissue, so they can establish a bank of healthy tissue to compare against specimens from women with breast cancer for research purposes. For me, I felt like I was doing a little to help some smart people who are studying a horrible disease.
I didn't write this as a "Yay Me" post--I wrote it to demystify the process. It's not a painful procedure, and you'll feel good about it afterwards. My hope is that if you hear about an event like this in your area, you'll sign up to donate. Please.
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