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CION Cancer Clinics
What stem cell donation actually involves for you, the donor | CION Cancer Clinics
Most stem cell donors have a daily injection for four or five days, then give stem cells from a vein in the arm while sitting in a chair for several hours. A smaller group give bone marrow from the back of the hip bones under general anaesthetic. This page walks you through each stage, from the first matching test to going home, and what you are likely to feel. At CION Cancer Clinics, our haematology team assesses whether a transplant or CAR-T fits your situation and coordinates care with qualified centres.
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Medically reviewed by Dr. Basudev PokhrelConsultant Haematologist · last reviewed September 2026, next review due September 2027
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On this page
- What will you actually go through as a donor?
- What happens between the first call and the collection day?
- How is donating from the blood different from donating marrow?
- What do the words on the donor papers mean?
- What does the collection day feel like?
- What do families often get wrong about donating?
- Common questions about the donation procedure
The short answer
What will you actually go through as a donor?
Most donors give stem cells from the blood, not from the bone. You have a few days of injections, then sit in a chair while a machine collects the cells from a vein in your arm. A smaller number of donors give bone marrow from the back of the hip, under general anaesthetic, in an operating theatre.
Why the patient's team decides the route
Which way you donate depends mostly on what the patient needs, not on what is easier for you. The transplant team looks at the disease, the type of transplant and the patient's age. They will explain the choice to you, and you are allowed to ask why.
Where it happens
Collection is done at a transplant or collection centre with its own donor team. CION's haematology team does not collect stem cells itself. If a family member is being treated with us, we help you understand the process and reach the right centre, and we tell you what to ask there.
You are the donor, not the patient. The centre should give you your own doctor for the health check, separate from the doctor treating your relative.Stage by stage
What happens between the first call and the collection day?
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You are asked if you will be tested
A cheek swab or a blood sample shows how closely your tissue type matches the patient. Agreeing to the test is not agreeing to donate.
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Confirmatory tests
If you look like a good match, a fresh blood sample confirms it. The team also checks for infections that could pass to the patient.
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Your own health check
A doctor asks about your health, examines you and orders blood tests, a heart tracing and sometimes a chest X-ray. The aim is to make sure donating is safe for you.
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Consent
You sign a written consent form after the risks are explained. Ask for the form in advance and read it at home with your family.
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The injection days
For blood collection, you get a daily injection for four or five days. It pushes stem cells out of the bone and into the blood.
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Collection and going home
Blood collection takes several hours and sometimes a second day. Marrow donors usually stay in overnight. Most people go home the same day or the next.
Not sure whether this applies to you?
Ask an oncologistTwo ways to donate
How is donating from the blood different from donating marrow?
Both give the patient the same kind of cell. What changes is where the cells come from and what you feel.
From the blood
A needle goes into a vein in each arm. Blood passes through a machine that keeps the stem cells and returns the rest to you. You are awake, and you can watch a film or talk.
What you tend to feel
- Bone and back aches on injection days
- Tiredness on collection day
- Tingling around the lips during collection
From the bone marrow
While you are asleep, a doctor draws liquid marrow from the back of both hip bones through a needle. There is no cut and no stitches, only small needle marks.
What you tend to feel
- A sore, bruised lower back for some days
- Tiredness while your body replaces what was taken
When your veins are too small
If the veins in your arms cannot take the needles, a thin tube may be placed in a large vein in the neck or groin for the day. The team will tell you in advance if this is likely.
It is removed before you leave.On your forms
What do the words on the donor papers mean?
- HLA typing
- The test that shows how closely your tissue type matches the patient's.
- Work-up
- The health check and tests done before you are cleared to donate.
- G-CSF
- A growth factor given by injection. It moves stem cells from your bones into your blood.
- Apheresis
- The machine collection. Blood is drawn off, the stem cells are kept and the rest is returned.
- CD34 count
- A blood test showing how many stem cells are circulating, so the team knows when to start collecting.
- Bone marrow harvest
- Collecting liquid marrow from the hip bones under general anaesthetic.
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On the day
What does the collection day feel like?
For blood collection, you lie back in a reclining chair for several hours. You need to keep your arms fairly still, so a nurse will help you eat and drink. Needing the toilet is the most common practical problem, so ask how it is managed before you start.
The tingling, and why it happens
The machine uses a liquid that stops your blood clotting in the tubes. It can lower your calcium for a while, which causes tingling around the lips or fingers. Tell the nurse straight away. It usually settles quickly once they act on it.
If the first day is not enough
The lab counts the cells collected. If there are not enough, you come back the next day for a second session. This is common and does not mean anything is wrong with you.
For marrow donors
You are asleep for the harvest and wake up in a recovery area. Your lower back will feel stiff and bruised. You will be offered pain relief, and you usually go home the next day.
Bring someone to take you home. You should not drive after a general anaesthetic.Commonly believed
What do families often get wrong about donating?
"They take the marrow from your spine."
Marrow comes from the back of the hip bones, not the spine. The spinal cord is not touched. Most donors today do not give marrow at all, because the cells are collected from the blood.
"Donating will leave you weak for life."
Your body replaces the stem cells on its own over the following weeks. Most donors return to their normal routine within days for blood collection, and a little longer after a marrow harvest.
"Once you give a sample, you have to donate."
Testing is not a promise. You can stop at any stage. Saying so early matters, because the patient's team plans the transplant around your answer.
"A match means you must be the healthiest person in the family."
A match is about tissue type, not fitness. The health check can still find that donating is not safe for you, and that decision protects you.
Did you know
The stem cells you give travel to the patient in a bag, like a blood transfusion. The patient does not have an operation to receive them, and you do not need to be in the same room or even the same city.
Questions donors ask
Common questions about the donation procedure
Does donating stem cells hurt?
The needles feel like a blood test. The injection days often bring bone and back aches, like a mild flu. After a marrow harvest, your lower back feels bruised for some days. You will be offered pain relief. Ask the donor team which painkillers you may take, and do not start any on your own.
Will I be asleep?
Only if you donate bone marrow, which is done under general anaesthetic. Blood collection is done while you are awake, sitting or lying in a chair. You can talk, rest or watch something on your phone, though your arms need to stay fairly still for most of the session.
How long will I be away from work?
Plan for the injection days, the collection day and a spare day in case a second session is needed. Many blood donors are back at desk work within a few days. Marrow donors often need longer, especially if the job involves lifting. Ask the centre for a letter for your employer.
Do I have to stay in hospital?
Blood collection is usually done as a day procedure, and you go home each evening. Marrow donors are usually kept in overnight to recover from the anaesthetic. If you are travelling from a district outside Hyderabad, ask about staying nearby during the injection days.
Who pays for the donor's tests and collection?
In India the donor's tests and collection are usually counted as part of the patient's transplant cost. Arrangements differ between centres, schemes and insurers, so ask the transplant centre for a written estimate. Check with the patient's insurer or scheme before assuming the donor side is covered.
Can I eat normally before donating?
For blood collection, eat a good breakfast and drink plenty of water, unless you are told otherwise. Calcium-rich food may be suggested. For a marrow harvest, you will be told not to eat for some hours before the anaesthetic. Follow the centre's written instructions exactly.
Can I donate if I take medicines for blood pressure or thyroid?
Often yes, but only the donor doctor can say. Bring every medicine and report to the health check. Do not stop or change any medicine to make yourself eligible. Being turned down protects you, and the patient's team will look for another donor.
Will I find out whether the transplant worked?
If you are family, you will usually hear directly. That news can be hard, whichever way it goes. What happens after the transplant depends on the disease and the patient, not on how well you donated. Ask the team for counselling support if you need it.
Your Haematologist
Meet CION's haematologist. One specialist for your blood report and your plan.
Dr. Basudev Pokhrel reviews blood counts, transfusion needs and blood disorders, and works with the CION tumour board on blood cancers.
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Sources
- American Cancer Society — Stem cell transplant donors
- NHS — Stem cell and bone marrow transplants
- National Cancer Institute — Stem Cell Transplants in Cancer Treatment
- NHLBI — Blood and Bone Marrow Transplant
This page is general information, not a prescription. Do not change or stop any treatment based on what you read here. If anything is worrying you, contact your own treating team — or call our helpline and we will help you reach the right specialist.
Keep reading
Related pages
G-CSF Injections Before Donation and How They FeelThe injection days in more detailPeripheral Blood vs Bone Marrow HarvestThe two routes side by sideRecovery After Donating Stem CellsWhat the days and weeks afterwards look likeDonor Eligibility: Age, Weight and Health ConditionsWhether you can donate at all
Talk to us
Asked to donate for a family member?
Tell us where things stand. Our haematology team will explain what the donor process involves and help you reach a qualified transplant centre. One helpline serves every CION centre.