After completing his nursing graduate program at Simmons, Cody Zygmont is now a nurse practitioner based in Providence, Rhode Island. He recently made headlines for saving a young life.
What made you become a bone marrow donor?
Before Simmons, I attended University of Massachusetts Dartmouth for undergrad. During my senior year they had an open booth in the campus center where you could come by and do a swab of your mouth if you wanted to be a donor. I thought this would be a good idea and I wanted to help, so I did it. I did not expect to hear back, but ten years later I got a call that I was a match for an infant girl with leukemia who needed a bone marrow donor.
What was the procedure like?
Three months before the procedure, the transplant company asked me if I was still interested in donating, which I was. I also had interviews that went over my medical history in great detail to see if I was a good match. The donor cannot have certain comorbidities and risk factors. Then I went for a physical and did a lot of bloodwork to confirm that I don’t have blood-born pathogens. I repeated this lab work a month before the procedure. A visiting nurse came to my house and gave me injections of a medication that causes over-stimulation of bone marrow.
There are two different ways to donate bone marrow cells. One method, which is more painful and invasive, is having a needle extract marrow directly from your bones. Another method, which I had done, is peripheral blood stem cell transfer. During my procedure, I had an IV in one arm to give me fluids and extraction devices in my other arm to draw out and filter my blood. Since the cancer patient receiving my donated cells was so small, the procedure only lasted a few hours.
Currently, the donation is anonymous. But over time, I will be able to contact the recipient. Within a year, we will also be able to exchange small gifts and pictures. I am definitely looking forward to this part of the process.
Did your Simmons experience influence your motivation to help save lives?
The Simmons School of Nursing helped push my career from a registered nurse to a nurse practitioner. I learned a lot about cancer treatment through Simmons, and I was able to have a deeper understanding of the gravity of the situation. I did my Simmons program online with students from all over the world. It was interesting for me to see how other countries are dealing with similar medical issues.
What is your advice for people who are thinking about becoming a bone marrow donor?
Do it, just do it. Any concerns, risks, or possible side effects that I pondered were always trumped by the fact that I could be saving a life. If Simmons could set up a donor booth that would be great. When you are a donor, in a small amount of time you can make a huge impact.