Above L-R:  Stem cell donor Trevor, Alexa, Patsy, and transplant recipient Dean 

When Trevor Osting joined Gift of Life as a volunteer stem cell donor in February 2018, he had no idea that it would lead to a life-long friendship. Trevor was an undergraduate at the University of Toledo College of Nursing when he went to a blood drive on campus. Outside that drive, a table full of Gift of Life Campus Ambassadors was running a donor recruitment event.

“The Campus Ambassador asked if I’d like to swab after I had just finished giving blood, and the rest is history,” said Trevor. “It was a no-brainer – I donate blood regularly, how different could blood stem cells be?” 

He had also heard about stem cells and marrow transplants in his nursing classes, so it wasn’t an entirely new concept for him. Less than a year after swabbing, Trevor learned he was a match.

“I was in my dorm room when I got the call that I had matched a man diagnosed with leukemia,” said Trevor. “I was very surprised – it didn’t feel like I’d been on the registry very long, and I knew people who had never been called.”

Trevor’s matching recipient, Dean Weitenhagen, had been battling acute myelogenous leukemia for several years after doctors found irregularities in his annual blood work. When he was first diagnosed in 2017, he did not have a match in the registry. His son was a 50% match – as all parents and children are – but Dean decided to pursue other treatments.

“In January 2019, I learned the cancer had returned and immediately began chemotherapy again,” said Dean. “However, this time, I had an excellent donor match in the registry and was thrilled.” 

Trevor’s donation went smoothly, and the stem cells were carried by a courier to Dean’s transplant center, and given to Dean through an IV, similar to receiving a blood transfusion.

“The transplant day was magical,” said Dean. “My wife Patsy and I sat and talked about how blessed we were. She had survived a serious stroke years earlier and recovered from partial paralysis thanks to a lengthy treatment in China. Now, I had struggled through intense chemotherapy and received a stem cell transplant – my wife’s and my journey has been, speaking plainly, unique.”

A year after the transplant, Trevor and Dean were given the opportunity to communicate with each other and began sending emails and texts back and forth – then they decided to meet in person.

Earlier this year, Trevor and his fiancée Alexa (Lex) visited Dean and Patsy in Scottsdale. 

"It was an incredible experience to meet them and hear their life stories and the series of events that brought our lives together,” said Trevor. “Helping Dean survive was the most humbling experience of my life and I hope others get the chance to experience this same feeling of fulfillment through donation.”

But there’s still more to the story! In August, Trevor and Lex were married and Dean and Patsy were thrilled to attend their wedding.

Above L-R: Patsy, Dean, Trevor, and Alexa

“Having Dean and his wife, Patsy, at our wedding meant so much to my wife and me,” said Trevor. “It was such a surreal experience to witness my family meeting this stranger they've heard so much. Plenty of tears were shed and laughs were shared. Lex and I look forward to visiting them again soon. We're confident it will be an annual occurrence.”

“We were blessed to be able to attend the wedding and meet Trevor’s and Lex‘s parents,” said Dean. “We truly enjoyed spending time with their wonderful families on such a joyous day.” 

Trevor is now an ICU nurse and a graduate of both the University of Toledo and the University of Northern Kentucky. He and Lex live in Findlay, Ohio, and they love to travel, with recent favorite destinations including Italy, the Netherlands and Ireland. 

Dean and Patsy live in Scottdale, Ariz., and Dean is an author and a public speaker, and participates in local politics. He wrote I Just Turned Two: How I Learned to Live After Nearly Dying, available on Amazon.com. His memoir tells the incredible story of both his and Patsy’s journeys through illness to newfound health and appreciation for life.