When Julian learned about Gift of Life’s stem cell registry during a presentation at his Zeta Beta Tau fraternity meeting in 2021, he knew he had to join. His mother Danielle had been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2019. Chemotherapy treatments had worked well and she was in remission, but Julian knew that if she ever needed a stem cell donation, he would pray that someone would be a good enough match and agree to donate.

“When I joined Gift of Life, I thought maybe I could pay it forward, although I didn’t really expect to match anyone,” said Julian. “Then during the summer of 2024, Gift of Life reached out to tell me I was a match for a woman in her 60s diagnosed with leukemia. I hopped on a call with one of the coordinators to learn what the process entailed, and to tell her I was available to donate. It was a quick decision for me to say yes.” 

Julian was filled with concern for the woman he was donating to, picturing her as possibly being a mom or grandmother, with a family who were worried about her.

“When my mom got cancer, I had just started college and my brother was in college on the east coast,” he said. “My family had some tough conversations, but our parents told us to stay in college, have fun and learn, do all the college stuff. I understand the impact of a family member having cancer, and the relief when that person goes into remission.”

Julian donated at Gift of Life’s Adelson Collection Center in Boca Raton, Fla., which meant flying in from California. Gift of Life covers all expenses for donors and their companion, including travel, hotel, transportation, and a meal stipend.  Blood tests and a medical exam are also needed before donating, as well as injections of filgrastim for four days to increase the number of blood stem cells, but there is no cost to donors or their insurance. 

“I had graduated in 2022 and was early in my career, so it was great when it not only wasn’t a problem for me to go and donate, but the company was also extremely supportive and encouraging,” said Julian. “A woman in my department had donated marrow, and it was great to talk to her and learn about her experience.” 

When Julian learned he could bring a companion with him, he invited Danielle to join him.

“She wanted to see me donate, so we made a mother-son weekend out of it, had dinner and enjoyed walking around Delray Beach,” said Julian. “When we arrived at Gift of Life’s collection center, we were blown away. It’s phenomenal, and I’m glad we went there as I’d heard that it just isn’t the same experience if you do collection at a hospital. My mom took a ton of photos, she’s very in touch with the cancer community and she was so impressed with the machines and the donation setting Gift of Life has created.”

The big surprise for Julian on his donation day was that he had mobilized so many stem cells, his collection was over in just a couple of hours. For most donors, the apheresis process can last 4 to 6 hours, so he was projected to finish around 3:30 p.m. But when the staff checked his blood count, it was more than twice what they expected, and they were able to get the number of cells needed by 11:30 a.m. 

“They said I had produced an entire immune system in a bag! The staff were just fabulous, from the coordinators I worked with to the people in the collection center, everyone helped me feel comfortable and well-informed,” said Julian. “I have now been requested to come back to the center to do a second collection for my recipient, this time it will be white blood cells, to help boost her recovery.”

Julian also got a great reaction from his grandmother when she learned what he was doing.

“My grandmother said she never in a million years ever thought of anyone doing this,” he said. “She was so impressed that one of her own grandchildren would do something so impactful.”

After having such a great donation experience, Julian hopes others will find encouragement to join the registry and step up to donate if called as a match.

“This special experience makes a massive impact on someone’s life with little or no inconvenience to you,” he said. “If you’re 25 and healthy and can have this incredible impact on another person’s life and family, it is really a second-to-none experience. Whatever I could do to prolong that person’s life and keep their family together, I was ready to do it.”

Julian, 25, lives in San Francisco, Calif. and works as a private banker. He is a graduate of the University of Southern California where he was a brother in the Zeta Beta Tau fraternity. He loves spending time and creating memories with friends and family, and is very outdoorsy, enjoying basketball, surfing, golf, skiing and supporting the Bay Area’s many sports teams.