In 2015, Gift of Life Campus Ambassadors attending Clemson University organized a recruitment drive in the campus’s gym. One of the people who joined the registry that day was Erika, who had a personal connection to blood cancer. 

“During my senior year of high school, a classmate and friend of mine was diagnosed with leukemia,” said Erika. “We did various fundraisers as a class to help her and her family. I only ever saw her cry once during her cancer battle and it was after a spinal tap. She was so strong and resilient, and I knew I wanted to help people going through the same things she was in any way I could. When I was asked to join the registry in 2015, I knew I had found a way to help someone like her.”

Erika’s friend is now cancer free and working as a high school teacher in their hometown. 

Four years after she swabbed, Erika received her first preliminary match call from Gift of Life. 

“The first time was for a 2-year-old child, but I ended up not being a close enough match to donate,” said Erika. Matches for blood stem cell and bone marrow donations are based on genetic factors found in the immune system called Human Leukocyte Antigens (HLAs). With tens of millions of combinations, it is difficult – but not impossible – to find a person with an exact HLA match. In this case, Erika was called as a potential match, but a more exact match was identified for that patient after she was contacted. 

Despite this first match falling through, Erika was excited when she was called again by Gift of Life in 2022 having matched with a 38-year-old man battling Acute Myelogenous Leukemia. 

“My reaction was an instant ‘yes, I want to do this,’” said Erika. “The first person I called was my husband, and he was supportive and proud of me for doing what I could to help someone else.”

Gift of Life organized travel for Erika so she could donate at the Adelson Collection Center in Boca Raton, Fla. Since Erika is a full-time student, she was fortunate that her donation could be scheduled around her winter break. 

“The staff at Gift of Life were amazing,” said Erika. “Anyone who had contact with me before my donation to work to arrange doctors’ appointments, blood draws, and the donation itself was so kind and accommodating to my crazy schedule. And the staff at the collection center were incredibly professional. They made sure that not only was I comfortable, they also took excellent care of my friend Nicole, who came along as my companion. While I was there I watched “Wednesday” because it had just come out and I hadn’t seen it yet. I also just chatted with Nicole. There really wasn’t any recovery time, I just made sure I drank a lot of water and I was feeling normal the next day.” 

Erika believes that her donation has made a positive impact on her. 

“Donating has pushed me to actively search for ways I can help other people,” said Erika. “I think any time you have the chance to help someone else, it is meaningful, whether you know who you are helping or not. I didn’t donate because I wanted other people to give me a pat on the back for “doing something good”, I donated to give someone a chance to live.” 

Since her donation, Erika has hosted donor drives through the Animal and Veterinary Sciences Graduate Student Association at Clemson University, where she was able to register 50 new potential donors.

“Cancer is a big, scary thing and I think it’s a safe bet to say everyone knows someone who has been affected by it,” said Erika. “Joining the marrow registry is something that almost anyone can do to take action. If you are unable to donate for any reason, sharing information about the registry and trying to recruit new donors is just as helpful!”

Erika, 25, is a PhD student in Animal and Veterinary Sciences at Clemson University where she is also a member of the Phi Sigma Pi sorority. She is happily married to her husband, Michael, and they live with their two dogs. In her free time, Erika enjoys going on walks with her husband and dogs.