In February 2023, Gabriel was at a career fair at Columbia University hosted by the Hillel International chapter when he saw a booth manned by Gift of Life Marrow Registry Campus Ambassadors. Intrigued about the organization's mission to cure cancer and related diseases, Gabriel listened to their explanation of what the registry is and how to join.

“In two minutes, I had swabbed my cheeks,” said Gabriel. “It seemed like such an easy thing to do to maybe help someone in need. I didn’t ever really expect to be called, but I was excited nonetheless.”

But Gabriel heard from the organization a little over a year later.

“I got a phone call and a text message, and maybe an email as well,” said Gabriel. “They said I was a match for a man in his 70s battling myelodysplastic disorder and asked if I’d be willing to donate. It was a no-brainer. I didn’t really know what the donation would entail, but I still said yes. The donor services representative on the phone answered all of my questions, though.”

Gabriel was called at a very auspicious time for him, just before the Yom Kippur holiday, one of the most holy days for Jewish people around the world.

“I don’t want to say the timing was fortuitous,” said Gabe. “It just seemed like a really good way to get one last good deed in before going to services that night!”

After the phone call, Gabriel told his parents that he had been identified as a match, and they had something to tell him: this wasn’t their first family’s experience with Gift of Life.

“They didn’t know I had swabbed; the process was so smooth it slipped my mind,” said Gabriel. “When I told them about the match, my parents told me that they were among the first people who originally had their blood tested back in the '90s for the organization’s CEO Jay Feinberg,” said Gabriel. “My parents were very happy for me and for the opportunity.”

Back then, marrow matches were identified via a blood test. Gift of Life would pioneer the use of cheek swabs in 2001, making the cheek swab the global standard for bloodless marrow registry recruitment. After his successful transplant in 1995, Feinberg went on to found Gift of Life Marrow Registry.

After a blood test confirmed that Gabriel was the best match for his recipient, his donor services coordinator arranged for him to donate at the Adelson Collection Center in Boca Raton, Fla., and to bring his mother Beth as his companion, an opportunity they were excited to take in the winter.

“We came down during winter break, and it was a nice shift from the cold,” said Gabriel. “The weather in Florida was very nice, at least for me. Everyone was saying how cold it was, but coming from Boston, it felt perfect! The hotel Gift of Life put me up in was right on the beach, which I went to every day of my trip. The donation itself was a lot faster than I thought it would be. The staff told me it usually takes between four and six hours, but I was done in three. The collection center was such a relaxing environment, too, not the hospital I was imagining! The staff took great care of my mother and me.”

Partway through the collection, Gabriel and Beth had a surprise visitor: Jay Feinberg.

"It’s incredibly moving to see our mission being carried forward from one generation to the next," said Jay. "Back in 1991, Beth had her blood tested to try to help me during my search. Years later, when Gabriel was old enough, he stepped up and joined the registry himself. Now, having saved a patient’s life, he’s brought everything full circle."

“It was so nice that Jay came in to the collection center and said hi to my mom and me,” said Gabriel.

After his donation, Gabriel returned home for the upcoming spring academic semester and to a community that was very proud of him for helping save a stranger’s life.

“It turns out a lot of people we knew were either on the registry or had donated or knew someone who received a transplant,” said Gabriel. “When I told people about donating, people with similar experiences or people who had needed transplants themselves would share their stories with me. It was nice seeing that spirit of giving in my community and continuing that trend.”

Gabriel wants people to know that donating stem cells is a very easy process.

“I really like knowing that I’ve helped save a life,” he said. “When the opportunity came up, it wasn’t something I had to think about. All told, the process was pretty easy. It was a blood test, a couple of shots, and a subsidized trip to Florida! The whole thing went by really quickly; it was a blur. When I told people about it, generally, they were surprised by how easy it was and how it was even easier to get swabbed and put on the registry. I just think people should know that it’s such a simple process and it’s an important thing to do.”

Gabriel, 21, is a senior at List College in New York, where he is majoring in Political Science Statistics and Jewish Text. During the academic year, Gabriel lives in New York City, but calls Boston, Mass. home. In his free time, Gabriel enjoys watching sports and reading science fiction novels.