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GLASSBORO, NJ – Rowan University defensive end Matt Hoffman donated blood stem cells on Monday, November 16 as part of the National Marrow Donor Program.
Hoffman (jr. Burlington, NJ/Burlington Twp.) was selected as a matching donor to help cure a 58 year old man suffering from non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Hoffman signed up for the National Marrow Donor Registry during the football team’s Get in the Game. Save A Life. drive last spring. He received a call in early September about being a possible match.
“I was in class when I got the call that I was a possible match,” said Hoffman. “When I checked my voice mail and got the message, I was excited. It was shocking to me that the whole process from the time I signed up for the registry to being contacted was only a matter of months.”
At that point, Hoffman had to get follow-up blood tests and a DNA sample was taken to see if his blood platelets were at the proper levels. At the conclusion of the tests, it was revealed that he was a match. After Hoffman decided to go through with the donation, he underwent a physical including x-rays and an EKG. Once he was cleared, Hoffman was given a three week window in November to make the actual donation. He chose the week Rowan was playing New Jersey Athletic Conference rival The College of New Jersey, knowing that he would have to miss the final game of the season.
“Immediately I wanted to make the donation. I never doubted going through with it,” stated Hoffman. “I realized saving a man’s life was more important than a football game.”
On Thursday, November 12, Hoffman began receiving a shot of filgrastim (Neupogen), used to increase the number of blood stem cells, in each shoulder for the next five days. The first shot was administered in the hospital and a home nurse came to him for three shots. On Monday, November 16, Hoffman went to Hahnemann University Hospital for the donation procedure. He was given one more shot of Neupogen when he arrived. At that point, nine vials of blood were taken from his arm and tested to make sure that his platelet levels were where they needed to be.
Hoffman was cleared to begin the process called apheresis, where blood was taken from his left arm and filtered through a machine. The apheresis machine separated the stem cells out of his blood. The remaining blood was then transferred back into Hoffman’s right arm. He was comfortable and watched movies during the entire process, which took about five hours. His blood pressure and vitals were monitored throughout.
“The National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) representative Aida Gonzalez was there the entire time I was at the hospital,” continued Hoffman. “She made the whole process easy and kept me informed of what was going on. I think people should know that donating bone marrow is not painful and the NMDP employees work with you. They realize you are helping them, so they are happy to help you through the process.”
The donor recipient received the stem cells on Monday, November 16 or Tuesday, November 17. The blood stem cells will move into spaces inside his bones and begin to create new marrow. The stem cells grow and make healthy new red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. If the procedure works, the recipient’s blood type will change to be the same as Hoffman’s and the new marrow will completely cure him of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Hoffman will be notified within a month regarding whether or not the process was a success. He must wait one year before having any personal contact with the recipient, however Hoffman can find out about his progress through the NMDP.
For more information regarding bone marrow donation visit the National Marrow Donor Program website at http://www.marrow.org.