Neighboring Vallejo Native Sailor Donates Bone Marrow By MC2(SW) AndreW JAndik, nrd MinneApoliS puBliC AffAirS offiCe NAVY COuNSELOR 1ST CLASS SHAWN LYNCH Navy Counselor 1st Class Shawn Lynch, a Vallejo native, may or may not have saved a young boys life in the fall of 2014. Since joining the Navy in 2003, Lynch has traveled the world, got married, become a father, and most recently donated bone marrow to an unknown recipient. After being tested, Lynch was found to be a very close match for bone marrow donation to a 10 year old boy battling a blood disease. Neither party knows the other and it will stay that way for about a year after Lynch’s donation. After that, if both Lynch and the recipient consent, they can contact each other. “The process for being registered to donate is easy really,” said Lynch. “You sign up, get your mouth swabbed, and wait to hear back. I never thought I would get a call though.” Becoming a donor is not guaranteed by any means. If you do end up being a match, the process starts quickly and doesn’t slow down. About eight months after having his mouth swabbed, Lynch was contacted and informed that he was a preliminary match. More blood work would need to be done to confirm the match for a young boy with a blood disease. “I had changed commands and moved across the country since I volunteered, but they tracked me down to see if I would pursue further testing since I was a basic match,” said Lynch. Lynch agreed to go in for more testing in June of 2014. He didn’t have to travel far, just a drive to Edina, MN. The doctors drew blood to test for specific criteria and verify that Lynch wouldn’t transmit any ailments or tendencies that would be detrimental to the young boy. “I was nervous, maybe a little scared,” said Lynch. “But I thought if my son was in this young boy’s position, I would hope that someone would be willing to donate. That is when I knew it was something I had to do.” Sure enough, Lynch’s tests came back and he was a solid match for donation. The only thing left was for him to decide if he would move forward with the donation process. Of course, Lynch said yes. Things happened quickly, as was customary at this point. Plane tickets were booked, hotels rooms reserved, and surgery was scheduled by The Salute to Life C.W. Bill Young Bone Marrow Donor Program. The Salute to Life C.W. Bill Young Bone Marrow Donor Program is a Department of Defense (DoD) program that was founded in 1990. It is part of the national program and coordinates marrow and hematopoietic stem cell donations of volunteer military personnel and civilian DoD employees. According to their website, more than 800,000 individuals have signed up since the doors opened. They have coordinated more than 6,000 donations of marrow and stem cells making them one of the largest American donation centers. “I was nervous about the surgery,” said Lynch. “But I held on to the thought of, if that was my son and how I would want someone to help him.” The program made the process very transparent and simple, Lynch said. Support also came from Lynch’s current command, Navy Recruiting District Minneapolis. “When we got word that Petty Officer Lynch was not only a bone marrow donation match, but willing to follow through with the process, we made sure he had the time and resources that he needed,” said Navy Recruiting Districts Minneapolis’ Command Master Chief James Williams. “As a command, we are proud that one of our Sailors was doing such a great, selfless act to help that young boy.” Lynch went into surgery in August of 2014. From check-in to check-out at the hospital it was about seven hours. Surgery itself was about two hours, during which time Lynch was under the effects of anesthesia and didn’t feel a thing. He said that he was sore for a few weeks after the surgery but it wasn’t debilitating by any means. Bone marrow donation is not a small undertaking. The donor is having the life blood taken out of their bones and transplanted into another person. The idea behind it, in simple terms, is that the new, healthier marrow will take over the weaker marrow and the blood in turn, thus defeating the disease. The recipient’s blood type will change to that of the donor and hopefully kill off the bad stuff in the recipient’s blood. Some of the donors traits can be found in the recipient after the process is successfully completed. “I hope we do get to meet. I couldn’t be happier to have been a match for him and I hope everything goes well. I hope others get the initial test done to be on the donor list,” said Lynch. “In the end, it is a little bit of pain that could completely change someone’s life.” march 2015 MARKETPLACEcontrac osta .com 65
Contra Costa Marketplace - Mar 2015
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