You decide whether you will donate. You will receive a regional or general anesthesia. Part of your marrow is removed from the back of your pelvic bone. You do not feel anything. You should recover quickly.
Most donors have some or little bone soreness or ache.
This may last a few days. You will receive injections of Filgrastim for 4 or 5 consecutive days. This is a stem cell growth factor medication which increases the number of stem cells released from your marrow into your blood steam. A sterile needle will be placed in one arm and a line which collects the blood will pass through an apheresis machine. This machine separate out the stem cells.