When young Jewish adults visit Israel through the Birthright program, tour providers who partner with Gift of Life offer them the chance to join the stem cell registry. Yael Adventures is one of these partners, and Brandon, 29, is one of more than 7,300 heroes to date who have volunteered through the program to help save patient’s lives.

“I was in Israel in June 2019, and as a regular blood donor, joining Gift of Life seemed like another similar way to help people,” said Brandon. “I figured that since I could always opt out, I had nothing to lose, but if I was selected to donate, I would be able to make a super-important, positive impact on someone’s life.”

Matches between donors and recipients are based on the alignment of genetic components in the immune system, which we all inherit from our parents and ancestors.  This means that the most likely chance of a match is with someone from the same ethnic group. While most donors give stem cells one time, occasionally a recipient needs a boost to help in their recovery, and a donor may be asked to give an additional donation of either stem cells or white blood cells. 

Brandon, who resides in Madison, Wis., has now donated three times to help his recipient, a man also in his late 20s who is diagnosed with leukemia, giving both blood stem cells and white blood cells to aid in his recovery. 

“I remember the first time I learned I was a match like it was yesterday,” said Brandon. “I was driving to a business conference in Palm Springs, Calif. I felt extremely lucky that I was chosen, after all, what are the odds?  I was immediately excited to learn more.” 

The odds of a match between two strangers are nearly impossible to calculate, as they depend on millions of various combinations in the tissue types. Within Gift of Life’s registry of more than 510,000 volunteer donors, only about 1 in every 1,000 will have the chance to donate in a given year.

“I immediately told my fiancée, Erika, and my parents, who know I am passionate about helping others,” said Brandon. “Everyone who heard about my plan to donate was very supportive – no exceptions. My workplace happily gave me the time off.”

Since Brandon has donated three times, he’s had three unique experiences.

“My first donation took place in New York, and while it was a good experience, when I went to Gift of Life’s Adelson Collection Center in Boca Raton for the other donations, it was at another level,” said Brandon. “I had a more private setting, better accommodations and food, and a chauffeur took me to and from the center. It was really nice to be able to relax and not worry about transit.” 

After having such a great experience and repeating it, Brandon is a staunch advocate of others joining the registry to get their chance to donate.

“If I’m having a bad day, I can always take comfort in remembering that I took action to save someone’s life,” said Brandon. “You have so much to gain and absolutely nothing to lose by donating. You get a reason to feel good about yourself, and being on the registry gives you a good reason to stay healthy!” 

Brandon, 29, is engaged to Erika, and they live in Madison, Wis. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial and Systems Engineering and is currently a sales engineer. In his free time, he likes to cook, read, exercise, and spend time with Erika and their cats.