“I just wanted to help save someone’s life”

Schulz, of Grygla, joined the “Be the Match” Bone Marrow Registry about six years ago when he wanted to help a friend in need of a bone marrow transplant.  When Lars Sundberg was sick with cancer a few years ago, many people, including Ethan, submitted samples to see if they could be a match for bone marrow. The procedure is a simple cheek swab from the inside of the mouth. Each donator was told they would be placed on the registry and if they were ever a match for someone in need of a bone marrow transplant, they would be contacted.

Ethan received a call from “Be the Match” in June of 2016. An American male, who was battling an acute form of Leukemia, was in need of bone marrow and Ethan was his match.

“We did an hour phone interview that day. We went over all of my medical history and they told me a little bit about the recipient and what would happen if I chose to donate,” says Ethan. “It was never a question for me. If I could help save someone’s life, I wanted to,” he adds.

Just two months later, Ethan was on a plane bound for the University of Minnesota Medical Center. He underwent numerous lab tests and an EKG to make sure he was healthy enough to donate. The hospital flew Ethan from Grand Forks to the cities, covering the cost of the flight, hotel and meals. While at the hospital, doctors and nurses went down a detailed list of the process with Ethan; they covered everything he could expect over the next couple of months, along with the procedure itself. They couldn’t give a lot of information out about the recipient in need; just age, gender and what form of cancer he had. They also told him he lived in the United States and was in desperate need of a bone marrow transplant.

During that whole time on Ethan’s end, the recipient was getting ready on his end by getting radiation and chemo to get him ready for his transplant. 

It was Monday, October 10th, when Ethan was back at the U getting prepped for the life-saving procedure. He had his mom and dad, Doug & Jodi, in tow, along with his friend, Nora. The night before he was cut off from food and water and had to use a special soap around his lower back where the doctors would go in for the bone marrow. He walks us through the morning of the event: “I had to be at the hospital at 5:30am. I got all checked in and prepped – had to do some simple lab work and meet with the surgery team. I got to know them a little and then waited in bed for about an hour. I was put completely out and was hooked up to a breathing tube, laying on my stomach for the procedure. They made two little incisions on each side of the pelvis area by my lower back. Two surgeons went in with needles and took the bone marrow out, which it looks like a thick blood; jelly-like,” he says.

The two surgeons took out 4 liters of Ethan’s bone marrow that morning, which he was told his body would make up within a week or so; our bodies are constantly making it. Right after surgery, Ethan had trouble standing and getting up on his own, but he only spent about 4 hours in the hospital recovering. He was given IV fluids and they waited for his blood levels to rise back up before he was allowed to leave. 

The first few days following the procedure, Ethan says he was just sore and slept a lot. “I compare the pain to falling on the ice and hitting your tailbone; just a constant soreness,” he says. Ethan was given a prescription for a strong Tylenol and was told rest would be the best form of medication. He will be off of work for a couple more weeks.

As for the recipient, well, Ethan wasn’t the only one undergoing a procedure that Monday. Right after they took Ethan’s bone marrow, they flew it to the recipient’s location and it went right into his body that day. “That was very cool to hear,” Ethan smiled. The recipient had spent a week in an isolated room and then got the bone marrow transplant on the 10th. He will spend the next 6 months waiting it out and hopefully recovering. “Over the course of the next six months, my bone marrow will be attacking his cells, creating new healthy cells and healthy blood cells and platelets once it reaches the organs. From what I understand, it will change everything similar to mine, which is healthy.”

For the next year, Ethan will be off the registry and not allowed to donate in case the recipient is in need of more bone marrow. Ethan said they didn’t tell him a success rate, but bone marrow transplants have and do save lives. After the one year mark passes, if the recipient is healthy and there is a mutual agreement, Ethan has the opportunity to meet his bone marrow match. “I’m not really sure how to describe all of this. I just knew that if I ever got a call, I’d be willing to do this and help save someone’s life,” he says. When asked if he’d be interested in meeting the recipient, Ethan simply said, “I think I would really like that.”