In 2020, Florida resident Demetris was volunteering at an organization that supports kids in foster care, when he started chatting with a friend and fellow volunteer about other opportunities to help people.

“She is on the registry and sent me some information about Gift of Life, saying it would be a good fit for me,” said Demetris. “I looked into what the registry is, and I liked what I saw! I ordered a swab kit and sent in my cheek swabs.”

Four years later, Demetris got a phone call from Gift of Life with the news that he had been identified as a match for a man in his 40s diagnosed with leukemia.

“I was a little caught off guard when I got the call,” said Demetris. “I had forgotten I joined the registry in between when I swabbed and when I got the call. But the representative reminded me I had joined, and I was excited to match a patient.”

Demetris told his family that he would be donating stem cells, but they weren't aware it was even a possibility.

“I did have to do some educating first,” laughed Demetris. “They didn’t really know what Gift of Life was, so I told them about the registry, what it meant to be a match, and what I’d be doing. Also, my friends and coworkers were very excited for me. No one was shocked that I had joined the registry. In their words, ‘it sounded like something I would do.’ ”

For the five days leading up to his donation, Demetris received injections of filgrastim to prepare him for peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) collection. Filgrastim is a synthetic version of a naturally occurring protein found in the body that has been approved for use in patients since 1991. Filgrastim signals the body to produce more stem cells, helping to make the process faster and ensure that enough cells can be collected for the patient.

“They said I may experience some side effects from it, but the only one I felt was some bone soreness,” said Demetris. “The filgrastim sure did its work! When I got to the Adelson Collection Center, they said I had produced so many stem cells I didn’t need the last shot.”

Donations typically last four–six hours but sometimes are much faster. This was the case for Demetris because he’d responded to the filgrastim so well.

“I was only there for two or three hours,” said Demetris. “I didn’t bring a guest with me; I went solo, so I ended up watching a movie during the donation. After the movie finished, the nurses told me I was just about done! The staff took good care of me and got me a nice lunch. The recovery was very easy, and I was back to normal the next day.”

In addition to having a good experience, Demetris feels grateful for the opportunity to help someone in need. 

“It was a privilege and an honor to help save my recipient,” said Demetris. “Not a lot of people are able to do it, but if you are one of the ones who can, take full advantage of it.”

Demetris, 25, lives in Lauderhill, Fla., where he works as a trainer and technical coordinator. He attended Florida Atlantic University before transferring to Palm Beach Atlantic University where he majored in psychology. In his free time, Demetris enjoys listening to gospel music.