Just six months after joining Gift of Life’s registry in March 2024, Makenzie matched a patient battling leukemia and was donating stem cells to save his life.
“I’m a member of the Alpha Phi Omega fraternity, and the drive was at our chapter at the University of Missouri - St. Louis,” said Makenzie. “I live a very healthy life that I’m grateful for, and if I could have an opportunity to save someone’s life, I’d do it in an instant.”
The text that she had matched a patient came a few months later while she was asleep, and at first, she couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
“I scheduled a phone call with Donor Services that day,” she said. “I was surprised I matched someone so soon!”
There was no question about Makenzie wanting to proceed with donating. She was excited and shared the news with her friend Anna, who had organized the swabbing drive at APO. Makenzie’s next step was to arrange for time off from classes and travel to Boca Raton to Gift of Life’s Adelson Collection Center for the donation. The organization arranges travel and accommodations for donors as well as providing a meal stipend.
“I have the best support system here in St. Louis,” said Makenzie. “My professors, friends, work supervisor, and coworkers were all ready to help.” Needless to say, with that kind of backup, getting a few days set aside for the procedure was no problem.
The preparation for stem cell donation means getting shots of filgrastim for five days to encourage the production of additional stem cells so there are plenty available for collection. Gift of Life sends a nurse out to a donor’s location to give the shots, and the final one is given at the collection center right before donating.
“My mom came with me as my companion,” said Makenzie. “Everyone at Gift of Life was helpful, and they explained every single thing to me in advance, as well as answering all my questions. I understood the entire process – it was super easy and relaxed. I got to spend time with my mom during the donation, which was nice, and afterward, I was back to normal pretty quickly.”
Makenzie recently helped her APO chapter set up another donor recruitment drive, and it prompted her to reflect on her experience.
“It really hit me when I started filling everything out to do another drive this year, that I had just swabbed a year ago and before that had never even thought to sign up for a registry,” she said. “Explaining to people who came to the table that I had just donated recently, and what the process was actually like, was also a great experience.”
She also had an eye-opening comment from one of her friends that made her consider the scope of what it means to save someone’s life.
“He called me a superhero, which I denied,” said Makenzie. “He insisted that, indeed, it is a very superhero sort of thing to do at this time in my life. Since I do a lot of community service, that comment made me feel full, this is the ultimate act of service you can do for someone.”
She continues to think about her recipient and wishes him well.
“I’d love to be able to meet my recipient,” she said. “We know the bare minimum about each other; it’s anonymous for the first year, but I’d like to get to know more about them and their journey in life and who they are as a person.”
Makenzie also has a message for anyone wondering if they should join the registry.
“This is not as intense as it sounds,” she said. “Your comfort and safety are the number one priority the whole time. You’re never in the dark about what’s happening, and I think it is absolutely worth it to donate.”
Makenzie, 20, is currently a psychology major at the University of Missouri - St. Louis. She devotes much of her free time to community service work, including volunteering at the food pantry, and serving as a peer mentor helping incoming students at the Pierre Laclede Honors College. She is on the executive board of the APO chapter, Sigma Alpha. She also enjoys knitting and participating in theatre.
Since 2019, the Alpha Phi Omega fraternal service organization has held drives in support of Gift of Life Marrow Registry’s mission to find a stem cell donor for every patient who needs one. To date, APO has added 14,000 new volunteer donors to the registry, resulting in 26 lifesaving stem cell and marrow transplants. Thank you, APO, for your ongoing support and donor recruiting efforts.