Rural Carrier Delivers the Gift of Life
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Since the Postal Service, the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) and The Marrow Foundation created "Delivering the Gift of Life Campaign" in 1997, more than 43,000 employees and their family members have volunteered to become potential marrow donors.
According to the NMDP website, healthcare professionals help more than 6,000 men, women, and children search the NMDP registry every day. If a patient's doctor selects someone on the registry as the best match, the volunteer will be asked to donate either bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cells from circulating blood, known as PBSC donation.
To date, 75 USPS potential registry donors have made lifesaving marrow donations — 
including Norbert Gallenstein, a 52-year-old Maysville, KY, rural carrier.
including Norbert Gallenstein, a 52-year-old Maysville, KY, rural carrier.Cincinnati District Manager Chu Falling Star and Maysville, KY, Rural Carrier Norbert Gallenstein are all smiles at a celebration in Gallenstein's honor.
In Gallenstein's case, he was asked to be a PBSC donor to help a 26-year-old woman who suffers from aplastic anemia — a condition where the body stops producing enough new blood cells.
"It was like giving blood," said Gallenstein, who signed up to become a donor after his Postmaster announced the program was looking for volunteers.
To get on the donor list, all Gallenstein had to do was have his cheek swabbed.
"I thought, heck, why not? And now that I've done it, it's a great feeling," he said. "I feel real lucky that I may have saved someone's life."
Consumer Affairs Manager Bonni Manies has served as the Cincinnati District marrow campaign coordinator for the past four years. District Manager Secretary Nita White also assists in signing up donors.
"To me, being able to give the gift of life to someone would be the most marvelous thing that I can think of," Manies said. "I truly get choked up."
Manies lost her oldest sister and father to cancer. Her niece is a double breast cancer survivor. And her nephew was also a victim to cancer, so being involved in the marrow donor program is really important to her.
"It's close to home," she said. "For a few moments of discomfort, you get to save a life or change someone's life completely."
As for Gallenstein, he plans to remain on the list of donors in case he's needed again. He also hopes to someday meet the woman he helped.
"Everybody at my work thinks I'm a hero, but I don't consider myself a hero," he said. "I just did what any person would do."
Anyone who is in good health and between the ages of 18 and 60 can register with the program. Typically, there is a tissue-typing fee associated with becoming a potential donor, but there is no fee for postal employees, their spouses and dependents.
The number of potential USPS-associated donors surpasses all other organizations — public or private.
For more information on becoming a bone marrow donor, visit www.marrow.org.
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Posted: July 30, 2009 9:43 AM
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