Barbara Häusler is a lifesaver! Donating her stem cells was the only chance of survival for a man suffering from cancer – and the Styrian woman is calling on everyone to register for this too.
“Comparatively, it took so little effort and effort for me to save someone’s life and not let them die.” Barbara Häusler didn’t pull anyone out of a river, resuscitate anyone on the street, and yet she still became a woman. lifesaver. Because she gave away a part of herself!
Stem cells, namely obtained from the blood. “For seriously ill people, this is often the very last chance,” says the kindergarten teacher from Birkfeld. “And something no one is immune to. Any of us could find ourselves in a situation where we desperately need such help to survive.” The young woman herself was confronted with the problem when ‘an acquaintance of mine just received a new life through such a donation. That’s when I decided to register.” It was very simple: “I was sent a set of cotton swabs for a tongue swab test, along with health information and you are in the database.”
She had almost stopped thinking about it – when the call came this summer: “If I were still available, I would be a suitable donor.” I immediately got goosebumps, was very enthusiastic of course, was immediately ready and immediately said yes. This is about a life, and the fact that it is that of a complete stranger makes no difference.”
Blood tests, samples taken, examinations
Blood tests followed, samples were taken, “a basic examination at the University Hospital of Graz, X-rays of the lungs, ultrasound, ECG. “It’s good to know that you are fit,” she laughs and thanks for the “appreciative treatment from everyone at LKH.” Then the actual work for herself began: “I had to inject myself with something every day so that the stem cells in the bone marrow multiply and also migrate from the bone marrow into the bloodstream.” She had side effects that she doesn’t want to hide, “like flu symptoms, fever, body aches.” But if you know what you’re doing it for, it’s actually negligible.”
And then there it was, October 7, the big day: together with her friend Michaela she went to the LKH, in three hours blood was taken from one side of her body, the stem cells were filtered out and the blood was given back to the other side of her body. “The cells are then in a bag and look a bit like reddish meat juice.” After the procedure, “I got up and went home. As if nothing ever happened.” But something was essentially different: “The feeling of being able to help someone. To save his life. This is simply indescribable!”
She would have thought a lot about which veins her blood now flows through: “is it a child, a mother, an elderly person?” In the end, she learned so much: “It’s a man about my age, from Germany. He has leukemia and would have died without my blood.” There is absolute anonymity for two years, if the patient still needs a donation, the veil can be lifted. Barbara Häusler: “Maybe I’ll hear from him then. I think a lot about this person, whether he is doing well, whether he is hopefully still alive.”
She asks the Styrians to be typed, “there must be an incredible number of them, because the chance that the cells are suitable for a stranger is so small.” For her, it was all incredibly enriching: “To know that part of me flowed into someone else and it saved their life. I would do it again any time, the question doesn’t even cross my mind!”
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
