A helper to her core

“Helping one person might not change the world, but it could change the world for that one person.”

Tristen Martindale, RN, grew up watching how helping hands can change lives as she explored the small-town hospital where her mother worked. Now, she’s a source of support for families and newborns as a Labor and Delivery (L&D) nurse in Bloomington.

She’s also a proud bone marrow donor.

“I learned about bone marrow donation while I was in nursing school,” says Martindale. “A friend of mine said she had signed up to be on the donor registry, and I thought the idea of being able to help someone going through a hard time was inspiring, so I signed up as well.”

From the time she registered with a bone marrow donation organization in 2020, she’s been waiting to hear she’s a match.

“Realistically, some people never get a call that they are and, after some time had passed, it didn't cross my mind,” says Martindale.

Then, in September 2024, she got a call saying she could help a child battling cancer.

The World Health Organization estimates that 400,000 children and adolescents develop cancer every year, and Martinsdale’s human leukocyte antigens (HLA) matched one of those many children.

“At the time of matching, it is undecided whether you will donate stem cells, which is a process similar to donating plasma or blood, or bone marrow, which is more invasive,” says Martinsdale. “Either way, I knew I wanted to help.”

In the end, a bone marrow transplant was determined to be the best treatment option for the child.

The donor organization then worked hard to ensure the process was as easy as possible for this full-time nurse and mother of three very busy children. Martindale also had a great support system back home, cheering her on.

“My managers were very supportive of my decision and helped me through the process when they could,” she says. “I couldn't have helped if it wasn't for the support of my family, friends and team at work.”

She and her husband flew into Washington DC the day before the procedure, which took place at 7:30 am, and she was discharged by 3 pm that afternoon. The next day, they were on a flight back home to Indiana.

“Other than my back being a little sore, it has gone very well,” says Martindale, who spent the next two weeks recovering at home and is now back on the L&D floor. “I would 100% donate again.”

She has already decided to be relisted on the registry after her one-year wait is over (per the donor organization’s policies) and encourages others to consider signing up to donate.

“I don’t get to contact or meet my recipient due to the restrictions of where they live, but knowing that I helped give someone a second chance has been so fulfilling.”