Burcu Mirza is an Everyday Hero Saving Lives and Raising Awareness

My guest today is a woman that goes above and beyond for others in need.

Burcu Mirza

In a few short weeks, she will be running the NYC marathon as a charity runner for DKMS.

Burcu Mirza and I will go a few easy miles as we talk about how she first got introduced to DKMS and how it motivated her to train and soon complete her first 26.2.

Unlikely Hero

Burcu Mirza was first introduced to DKMS not through running, but through a close friend’s experience with leukemia.

When a friend’s son was diagnosed with cancer, Burcu was inspired to sign up for the National Bone Marrow Registry.

She was a 100% match with a patient and didn’t hesitate to give of herself to help save a life.

Her journey from donor to charity runner helped to make her a better person as well.

Running entered her life about 15 months ago.

Burcu commonly walked in Central Park and was inspired by the energy of the other runners.

Her walking changed to intervals and then to running longer and longer distances.

The idea of training for a marathon came as a way to raise awareness and give her running a purpose larger than herself.

This Episode Is Sponsored By: DKMS

Stronger Then Before

In a few short weeks, Burcu will toe the line of the NYC Marathon and complete her first 26.2.

She will be doing so as a charity runner for DKMS.

Fundraising can often be a deterrent for would be charity runners.

Burcu has found that it was much easier than expected with the support of family and friends.

Numerous people have asked Burcu if her health has suffered since the donation 5 years ago.

Training and running a marathon is Burcu’s way of showing that she is even stronger then she was before.

Working towards a “reach goal” has brought discipline, patience, and persistence to her everyday life.

Not only has training made her a better person, but it has encouraged her family to be more active as well.

Donation Process

Burcu Mirza During the Donation Process

The need for marrow donations is always high.

The more people that donate means that the likelihood a patient finds a match increases.

Rarely does a match come from a close family member or friend.

Up to 70% of matches come from complete strangers that are in the donor database.

Donations can happen in one of two ways:

• Surgical procedure (This is less common)
• Outpatient procedure (75% of donations occur via this route)

Some bloodwork and prep are done in the weeks leading up to the procedure.

Everyone reacts differently after the procedure, but typically it feels similar to having the flu.

In most circumstances, a donor can resume normal activity as quickly as 10 days post donation.

Mentioned In This Episode:

• DKMS
• DKMS Charity Teams
• NYC Marathon

Burcu Mirza is running her first marathon as part of Team DKMS, five years after a bone marrow donation saved the life of a stranger. #dkms #runchat Click To Tweet

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