In March 2018, Cole was helping his mom, Sharon, who was a Gift of Life employee at the time, set up a recruitment drive at a Houston Astros Spring Training game in Palm Beach. While a donor has to be a minimum of 18 years of age to donate Peripheral Blood Stem Cells (PBSC) and bone marrow, 13- to 17-year-olds can pre-register for a swab kit, typically sent to their home after they turn 18. Since he was about to turn 18, Cole decided to pre-register and swabbed during the drive.  

“It wasn’t a hard choice to make, potentially giving someone a second chance at life,” said Cole. “I knew that if I had the chance to help somebody, I wouldn’t say no.”

Thanks to his mom’s work, Cole was already familiar with how much difference a transplant can make in the life of someone fighting blood cancer, as well as their family, friends, and community. 

Five years later, in 2023, Cole was attending college at the University of Florida when he received a text message from Gift of Life. 

“I was doing homework when I got the text and initially passed it off as the yearly retention text,” said Cole. “Then it hit me what I was actually reading.” Cole had been identified as a match for a man in his 50s battling Acute Myelogenous Leukemia. “I was filled with a mixture of absolute confusion and excitement. After the call, I told my mom that I was a match.” 

Sharon felt similarly when she heard the news. 

“I was thrilled because I had met so many donors when I worked at Gift of Life,” said Sharon. “Now that brave donor was my kid! I was still concerned though, it was my motherly duty! But mostly, I was proud. I know what donation means to the recipients: more time with family and loved ones, more laughs, more experiences.”

After a physical exam confirming he was healthy enough to donate, and a blood test confirming he was a perfect match for his recipient, Cole and his mother Sharon, who live nearby, a driver picked them up on donation day. Cole donated peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) at the Adelson Collection Center, located in Gift of Life’s headquarters in Boca Raton, Fla. PBSC collection is the preferred method of hematopoietic stem cell transplant and is used 90% of the time. 

These cells are collected through the apheresis process. Developed in the 1970s, this process begins when a nurse places a needle in each arm. One arm is connected to the apheresis machine, and blood is drawn into the machine, processed through a centrifuge to separate the blood components, and the stem cells are collected. The remaining blood is warmed back to body temperature to maintain the donor's comfort, and is returned to the donor via their other arm. 

Donors can read, watch movies, make phone calls, and chat with their companion during donation, and food, snacks, and drinks are provided to both.

“The people at Gift of Life were super kind to me and always making sure I was happy during the donation,” said Cole. “During the collection, I played Nintendo Switch, napped a bit, played some chess and texted with friends. My recovery was really quick too, and I was back in the gym in less than a week.”

Cole feels happy that he was able to help his recipient. 

“I saw this whole experience as the right thing to do,” said Cole. “It’s my recipient whose life is being changed. I think donating is important, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat. The experience was super easy and there is no reason not to join the registry.”

Cole, 23, is an alumnus of the University of Florida. He now lives in Arizona where he is working as an information security analyst. In his free time, Cole enjoys working out, playing Dungeons & Dragons, and going on walks with his dogs.