Are you Kirsten’s lifesaving match? Order your swab kit and find out if you are the hero she and her family urgently need!  

Kirsten is a 44-year-old wife to Sam and mother to Eveline, 9, and Jude, 7, and Annalise, 4.  She has a rewarding career as a psychiatrist, helping others achieve optimal health and lead fulfilling lives. 

She was recently diagnosed with aplastic anemia a rare form of bone marrow disease that results in not enough blood cells being produced.

To defeat aplastic anemia and recover her health, Kirsten needs a peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) or bone marrow transplant from a donor who shares her tissue type. This tissue type is inherited from our parents, like hair and eye color, so the best chance of finding Kirsten’s match is with someone who shares her genetic heritage.  

That’s where YOU come in! You could be Kirsten’s lifesaving match without even knowing it.  All it takes is a simple swab of your cheek to find out if you are a match for Kirsten or another patient in need.  

Our goal is to help Kirsten beat this diagnosis and get back to normal life. Being there for her husband and children means everything to her. Let’s make sure this beautiful family has an incredible future together. 

More about Kirsten 

A graduate of Cornell University and SUNY Downstate College of Medicine, Kirsten is not only a loving wife and mother, but she is also a surgeon, psychiatrist, and entrepreneur. She loves working and traveling, and the best thing is time spent with her kids. 

Please help us find the donor who can give Kirsten a second chance at life.

How you can help

• Join the registry! Click on the blue "Join Registry" button above right. 
  • Healthy Donors Needed: Anyone in general good health between 18 and 35 years old may join the registry.
  • Medical Conditions: Certain medical conditions may mean you are not able to join the registry or donate – Click here to check the Conditions List. If you're not sure, a health history questionnaire is part of the registration process.
  • Younger Donors Needed: Eighty percent of donors requested by transplant centers are 18 to 35 years old for medical reasons – Click here to learn why age matters in transplant outcome.
  • Over 35: Donors 36 and older can also join, but we ask that you to please donate $60 to offset the lab fees – Click here to learn why.  
  • Over 60: Donors can remain in the registry until their 61st birthday – Click here to learn why the registry has an Age Limit.
• Run a Donor Recruitment Drive! One of the best ways to help Kirsten is to run a donor recruitment drive at your business, church or synagogue, or in your community. Gift of Life will give you the training, materials, and support to get your drive organized and to publicize it.  What happens at a drive?  You set up a table where people can complete a swab kit and register to join Gift of Life. Every swab kit from a potential donor could be someone who saves a life!  Please contact Donor Recruitment Director Chris Camacho to get started, email: ccamacho@giftoflife.org, direct line: 561-982-2904.
• Sponsor a swab kit. Click on the orange "Give to My Circle" button. Lab processing of every kit costs $60. Your contribution will help add new donors to the registry, who may be a match for Kirsten or another patient. 
• Spread the word. Please click the Share button above right to post Kirsten's story in your Facebook, Twitter, or What'sApp account. The more people who order a swab kit and join the registry, the faster she will find a donor.