We at Davin Healthcare like to shine a light on our employees… our family. In this installment of "Employee Spotlight," we're talking with one of our own who is doing something great to help others. 

Tell us a bit about yourself.

I'm Nicole Durie, and I've been with Davin Healthcare since 2019 in the account management department.

Could you tell us about what you're about to do? 

I will be donating PBSC through Be the Match. There are two types of donation methods, Peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) and Bone Marrow. 

What they ask you to donate depends on the patients' needs and at their doctor's discretion. I was first asked to donate bone marrow, but recently they decided PBSC would be the better route for this patient. The same blood-forming cells that are found in bone marrow are also found in the circulating (peripheral) blood. PBSC donation is a nonsurgical procedure, and for 5 days leading up to donation, I will be receiving injections to increase the number of blood stem cells. 

On the day of donation, I will be hooked up to two IVs, one in each arm. They will remove the blood from one arm and pass it through a machine to collect the stem cells and then return the remaining blood to my other arm. The average time this takes is 4-6 hours. In some cases, a person's veins may not be able to withstand having IV's in for so long. They do a vein check to assess, and as of now, I am scheduled for a central line to donate, so my experience may be a little different. I will be reassessed the morning of, and they will decide if they can do the donation peripheral or if a central line will have to be placed.

Are you nervous about this? 

Yes, I have never been good with needles (I have a history of passing out). I think this process has helped me with my fear of needles knowing the end result is for a good cause. I am now more concerned with having to travel and go to a hospital to donate by myself due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Normally they want someone there with you for support, so hopefully, this will be the normal process again soon. 

Why are you donating? 

I joined the registry in July 2017 during a Be the Match event held in honor of a friend's father that lost his battle to blood cancer. Two years later, I got the call I was a potential match for someone with acute myeloid leukemia. I didn't even have to think about it, just knowing I may be able to help save a life made me want to continue with the process. 

I never realized how many cases of blood cancer there are and how many lives it is affecting. I now know someone who received their match and is living a healthy life, and I know someone else who found their match and will be getting their transplant in a few months. The more I learned about what Be the Match does, the more I wanted to be involved. I would want someone to be willing to help if this was affecting myself, a family member, or a friend. 

If someone else wanted to follow in your footsteps, how would they? 

You can join by going on Be the Match's website and request a cheek swab kit. They will send it directly to you; it's a simple cheek swab that you mail back to them. You can also attend an event being held or host a live drive yourself. Hosting an event is a great way to get more people to join the registry. 

https://join.bethematch.org/

Do you have a message for anyone else who is interested in donating? 

Join the registry and donate if you can! There are so many people waiting for a match. It will not cost you anything to donate, just your time. Donors do not get paid, but all expenses related to donating are covered (testing, travel, food). Insurance doesn't cover all the costs that come with a transplant, and many families are not able to afford treatment. If you are unable to donate medically, think about making a monetary donation to help cover some of the costs these patients have.

We at Davin Healthcare cannot begin to express our pride for Nicole. Her actions exemplify our caring philosophy. Thank you, Nicole, and we wish you the best through the next couple of weeks.

Update: Nicole has let us know that the donation went well. She even sent us a picture from the donation day.