When 30-year-old Sam registered with Gift of Life in 2008, he never thought he would be called to donate. The initial phone call that he was a match brought a lot of emotions to the forefront of Sam’s mind, including enlightenment, shock, and joy at the prospect of helping someone in need. After having lost a family member to leukemia, Sam’s choice was easy; he was going to do whatever he could to save this stranger’s life. Our hero explained, “I always told myself I would have done anything I could to help save my friend's life. I wasn’t a match for him, but I promised myself if I ever had the chance to give another person a chance at life, I wouldn’t hesitate.”

Sam described the process of donating as easy, explaining that he only had to take one day off work and was fully supported by his company, family and friends. While Sam refuses to call himself a hero, explaining that he feels it was his duty as a human to help his recipient, there is a very good chance his recipient has no problem considering Sam her hero. Regarding his recipient’s need of a life-saving match from a stranger, he said, “I’m sure she was scared and shocked there was a match in the directory.”

To Sam, signing up to save a life was easy: “The potential to save someone’s life and the impact it could make warranted my decision.” Sam ended his interview by quoting Mark Twain to describe his feeling regarding donating, “‘Two most important days of your life: the day you were born and the day you find out why.’ This is one of those experiences.”