Daniela was a student at Cornell University when she joined Gift of Life’s registry in 2006, during a recruitment drive on campus.
“I probably saw the booth and thought, ‘That’s a great idea!’”, said Daniela. “My grandfather passed away from leukemia before I was born, back in the 1980s when bone marrow transplants weren’t as effective, so that was part of my reason for joining.” She also has a brother-in-law who has survived cancer thanks to a bone marrow transplant, so Daniela and her family members are aware of the need for donors.
In June 2020, just six weeks after giving birth to her son, Daniela got an email from Gift of Life. At first, she didn’t open it, but then thought, “What if it IS real?” and went back to read it. She was a match for a patient, but unfortunately could not donate at that time due to the recent birth of her child. Women who are pregnant or nursing are made temporarily unavailable in the registry.
Fast forward a year, and in June 2021, Daniela heard from Gift of Life again.
“They said the same patient still needed a transplant, a man in his early 50s battling leukemia,” she said. “I was finishing up my residency, so I had the free time, but the patient had some complications then. A few months later I had just started my first job as a full-time doctor when the patient was able to receive the transplant.”
Daniela took two days off and flew to Florida to donate at the Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Gift of Life-Be The Match Collection Center, located within Gift of Life’s headquarters in Boca Raton.
“My husband, Adam, came with me to collection,” said Daniela. “It was our first trip with just the two of us since our son was born, so it felt more like a vacation for us. We went for some walks on the beach and enjoyed the area.”
Daniela felt that her donation day went smoothly, and she was well taken care of by the nurses and collection center staff.
“I watched a bunch of episodes of Charmed on Netflix,” she said, adding that the experience felt meaningful to her.
“When you get the chance to do this it’s an important thing, you’re helping someone survive,” said Daniela. “And it’s helpful for me, as a doctor, to understand the process, so I if have patients who are going through something similar, I can connect with them. It sounds like a scary experience, but it’s a worthwhile thing to do, to save someone’s life.”
Daniela and her husband are residents of Seattle, Wash., where she works as a family physician. She received her undergraduate degree from Cornell University and attended medical school at Ben Gurion University in Israel. In her free time, she and her family are happy to be outdoors hiking and camping.