While attending the Penn State University Ross and Carol Nese College of Nursing in 2018, Katelyn swabbed to join the Gift of Life Marrow Registry. Both her sorority, Alpha Xi Delta, and the Student Nursing Association at Penn State held donor recruitment drives. Katelyn decided to join the marrow registry to make a difference in someone’s life if the opportunity arose. 

“I was excited about the potential idea of helping someone in need” said Katelyn. “As someone who had a parent at the time battling a terminal illness, I wanted to give another family going through a tough situation some hope and to give someone a chance at life.”

Four years later, the opportunity did present itself. In 2022, Katelyn received a phone call and a text that she was a match for a man in his early 60s battling Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. 

“I initially did not answer the phone due to it being an unknown number,” Katelyn laughed, “but shortly after, I received a text message stating I was a match for a patient needing a transplant. I was immediately emotional, bursting into tears while telling my boyfriend, who was with me when I got the text. I called my mom who thought it was such a wonderful thing if I was able to do it. I was overwhelmed with the amount of emotions I was feeling, but was eager to call back and find out more information about the next steps.” 

I wanted to give another family going through a tough situation some hope and to give someone a chance at life.

Katelyn flew to Florida to donate peripheral blood stem cells at the Dr. Miriam and Sheldon G. Adelson Gift of Life Marrow Registry – Be the Match Collection Center in Boca Raton, Fla. Prior to donating donors receive a shot of Neupogen each day for four days to help mobilize the cells into the circulating blood for collection. The fifth and final shot is given just before donating. Being a nurse, Katelyn was able to self-administer the Neupogen injections the days prior to her donation and keep track of her vital signs.

Katelyn was feeling nervous before her donation. “I was a bit anxious in the days leading up to the donation due to not knowing exactly how my body was going to feel during the procedure,” she said. “I’m more used to being the healthcare provider rather than the patient. However, the procedure itself was very easy and I felt great the whole way through. I watched the premiere of the Bachelorette, played Mario Kart with my boyfriend, talked with the nurses, and enjoyed some pizza. The nurses were amazing and put me at ease. Any side effects from the Neupogen injections immediately went away after the donation, and I felt great!”

After donating, Katelyn feels connected to her recipient. “I still get emotional sometimes when I think about my donation and my recipient,” she said. “I feel that a part of me is out there somewhere with my recipient, and I feel a connection even though we have never met.”

In the United States, donors and recipients must remain anonymous for the first year after the transplant. After that year, if both agree, they may exchange contact information and meet in person. 

“I would like others to know that being a donor is one of the most rewarding things you can experience in life,” said Katelyn. “Donating is truly not as scary as it sounds. I was surprised how easy the process was, and I would do it over and over again if I could.”

Katelyn is a graduate of Penn State University and a member of the Alpha Xi Delta sorority. She now works as a registered nurse on a women and babies unit. She spends her free time going out with friends, playing with her niece and nephew, and cuddling with her cat. 

Katelyn's swab kit was sponsored by the Levion Family Donor Circle.