I chose to donate my breast tissue. Here's why you should too.
Editor’s Note: Today we hear from CityMom Kira and her experience with donating breast tissue. It's a procedure that asks very little of its donors but has a big impact and we encourage you to learn more.
My grandma passed away in the prior years from breast cancer as another immediate female family member was battling the disease. Watching both of these women I loved fight against a diagnosis that I myself dread I will one day be faced with, I immediately thought:
What can I do to stop this?
Kira (right) with her Grandmother, Barbara Kuhn, who passed away from breast cancer in 2009.
My sister and sister-in-law had both recently given birth to baby girls and although (at the time) I didn’t yet have any children yet, I knew I needed to do something to give them all the future they deserve. It was in this hard moment of life that I was presented with a unique opportunity to donate not only my time but physically myself - a piece of my body.
I made the decision to donate breast tissue through the Susan G. Komen Tissue Bank at the IU Simon Cancer Center.
In a normal year, the Tissue Bank holds a few tissue donation drives a year.
Patrons wanting to donate can also arrange other times by contacting the office directly, and after all my family was going through, I decided to make that call. Did you know that according to a report published by the Susan G. Komen Cancer Center, the Komen Tissue Bank is “the only repository in the world for normal breast tissue and matched serum, plasma, and DNA.” It’s so amazing to think that we have this in our backyards in Indianapolis. We have the power to help future generations of females.
To cut to the chase, you can read about the entire procedure here.
I was able to talk a few other friends into going to donate breast tissue with me, so we made a day of it.
I was in contact with the registration department at the Tissue Bank and arranged for a time slot when the six of us could arrive and donate together. There were some initial screening questions to confirm eligibility. My girl group started with brunch across the street from the IU Simon Cancer Center (IUSCC) for what we called our ‘Boob Party.’ Once we arrived at the IUSCC, they had fresh Starbucks coffee waiting for us (yes please!) and health questionnaires to fill out - like a lot of them - this tissue donation was a BIG deal and they needed all the info. We were then given a basic physical run down of temp, weight, height, and a quick (painless!) blood draw. Finally, we each spent time in the waiting room until we were called back to donate. This process required we enter one at a time and I was nervous!
Susan G. Komen donation center sample collection.
When it was my turn the side of my breast was numbed, a small incision was made and a long aspirating needle was inserted and grabbed some tissue. The doctor called this tissue “cores.” I felt proud when she said, “you had great tissue, so I took a couple of extra cores.” #GoMe I want to be clear when I say this is a true medical procedure. Honestly, I think the explanation sounds way worse than it actually is.
MORE FROM KIRA: My daughter's birth was super traumatic and it's not fair
The Tissue Bank prepped me by requesting I wear a sports bra for maximum comfort and to hold an ice pack in place after. We all came out looking, walking, and talking fine, other than the bulging ice packs in our bra lines. I did go home and take a nap after because as I mentioned, I didn’t have any children at the time and well, you remember what afternoons were like in your twenties.
I’ve had so many people say to me “I’d never donate breast tissue - I don’t like getting my blood drawn and I don’t want to voluntarily be in any pain.”
Kira and her husband Ryan with their niece, Hannah.
Hey, I get it. But then I point out the tattoos many people have because that was a significantly longer (and more painful!) appointment. You don't often walk out of a tattoo parlor feeling like you've just contributed to someone's future well-being. But most importantly I explain to them my reason: If my grandma lost her breast, went through rounds of chemo and radiation, and then lost her life, the least I can do is have someone stick me for a hot minute in my breast. The other reason is that even though I personally will receive no benefits from the donation - it doesn’t reduce my chances of cancer or give me some mystical healing solution - it does offer my nieces a chance, and all the other females born after me. Maybe my breast tissue will be the tissue they are using when they say “we’ve cured it - this core had cancer and we cured it.” Longshot? Yes. But worth the peace of mind and gift to humanity? Absolutely.
Kira with her daughter Gracelyn, who was born in 2018.
Every year around the anniversary of my donation, I get a call to update my health information.
I was so excited in 2019 when they called and I could say “I had a baby!” I felt like I had contributed something great to the world. I could donate money, or pass out flyers, but the gift of science makes me feel like I’m doing something much bigger than myself. I hope someone reading this will take a look at the screening criteria and make a decision to give to science and the future female* generations to come.
*An important note: While males can get breast cancer, the Tissue Bank is only looking at female breast tissue. That is why this post was written using female pronouns.
MORE INFORMATION: The Susan G. Komen Tissue Bank at the IU Simon Cancer Center is located in downtown Indianapolis at 550 University Blvd, AOC 6042. At the time of publication, more than 4,900 women have donated breast tissue across the United States. Discover more details and connect with the Tissue Bank at their website or on Facebook.
