Lauren, 23, donated stem cells twice to help give a man in his early 70s who was diagnosed with myelodysplastic disorder, a form of blood cancer, a second chance. For her, it was a long-awaited opportunity to pay it forward. "I first heard about Gift of Life when I was a little kid, as my sister actually had a bone marrow transplant,” she said. “While I was in college at the University of Central Florida, I joined the registry at a Greek life event with Alpha Tau Omega fraternity in 2023. I was honestly surprised that I got a match because I heard it’s pretty rare, but I’m really happy to be involved in the whole process.” She felt it was important to be able to help someone else. “The decision to donate was a no-brainer, honestly. I wasn’t a match for my sister, so I’m happy to give back in this way now.” Only about 30% of patients are able to find a donor within their family, which is why the registries are so important: to help every patient find their match. “The process is painless,” added Lauren. “I say go for it!”

Jonah, 25, felt he was treated like a king when he donated stem cells recently at Gift of Life’s Adelson Collection Center. “I joined the registry in 2020 during my first year of college at North Carolina State,” said Jonah. “A Gift of Life Campus Ambassador gave an excellent speech in one of my classes, and she did a really good job of asking us to step up and help others.” Five years later, Jonah learned that he matched a man in his 50s diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, whose best treatment option was a stem cell transplant. “This was an easy yes for me,” said Jonah. “I don’t want to say this was ‘destiny,’ but it kind of felt like that. I just cannot imagine myself saying no to potentially saving someone’s life.” Jonah also spent some time enjoying the local area. “I walked on the beach yesterday, and there was a rainbow out there over the water which was really cool to see,” he said. “If you need anything at all, you have so many people here whose sole job is just to take care of you – I don’t want to say you are treated ‘like royalty’ but that’s essentially how it is.” Jonah also encourages anyone who can do so to join the registry for their own chance to save a life. “I would never have any hesitancy about donating, to be honest,” he said. “You shouldn’t worry about your comfort; there are so many people here for you. It’s really an easy decision, and you can potentially save someone’s life.”

Lily, 24, traveled internationally to donate stem cells at Gift of Life in the hopes of helping a a blood cancer patient. “I was studying at Duke University in 2022 when I joined the registry at a Project Life Movement drive,” said Lily. The organization is a recruitment partner with Gift of Life, helping to grow the registry.  “I was on the student athlete committee, and we did the swabs at a meeting,” added Lily. “When they called to say I was a match, I was a bit confused at first as I had forgotten about it.” By that time, Lily had graduated and moved home to the London area. But she was needed in the U.S. to help a woman in her 50s diagnosed with leukemia. “Once I was reminded about swabbing and learned more about donating, it was an exciting opportunity,” said Lily. Donors usually give stem cells through their own country’s registry, but Lily had registered here so Gift of Life flew her to Florida to donate at the Adelson Collection Center. “It was so nice to be in the sunshine,” said Lily. “And it was a cool opportunity to give someone else a chance at life. I definitely recommend joining the registry and going through this process if you are called – it went much smoother than I expected.”

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