Since 2005, the University of South Carolina’s Delta Zeta sorority chapter has held an annual donor recruitment drive named Sweet Caroline in honor of their late sister Caroline Terry to continue her legacy and help patients in need of a donor find a match. During this event, sorority members are stationed at tables across campus and encourage people to join the registry in hopes that one day they may have a chance to save a life. 

During the 2022 Sweet Caroline drive, Tyler, a student at the University of South Carolina, joined Gift of Life’s marrow registry. The drive was organized by Project Life Movement, recruitment partners of Gift of Life who run drives on college campuses to help bring in new donors and boost diversity in the registry.

“I didn’t have a specific reason for joining,” said Tyler. “I was in a good mood that day and the drive just caught my attention. I walked up and did the cheek swab. It only took a couple of minutes.”

While many donors wait years to be identified as a match, Tyler only had to wait nine months before he was contacted by Gift of Life.

“I was at home in Georgia for Thanksgiving break when I got the call,” said Tyler. “After hearing that I had been found as a match a match for a man in his 60s battling acute lymphoblastic leukemia I was super excited. Saving that man’s life was something I just couldn’t say no to.”

Tyler shared the good news with his parents soon after the call with Gift of Life ended, and they shared in his excitement.

Gift of Life worked with Tyler to donate after the new year, and his professors were happy to excuse him from a few classes so he could travel to Boca Raton, Fla. to donate at Gift of Life’s Adelson Collection Center.

“Gift of Life took exceptional care of me before, during the trip, and during my donation,” said Tyler. “They organized everything and provided me with what I needed to take the time off to be in Florida. They even accommodated my class schedule when it came to the flights there and back. Everyone at the collection center was amazing as well and took great care of me during the process. It was a very easy donation and only took about four hours. I watched a couple of episodes of Breaking Bad and sat in on an online class. After that, I was done! With a bit of rest, I was feeling back to normal and got to enjoy the rest of my time in Delray Beach which was a lot of fun.”

Federal regulation requires donors and recipients to remain anonymous for the first year after transplant, after which time they can exchange contact information. Before that period of anonymity expires, though, donors and recipients can share anonymous letters, and Tyler received a note from his recipient shortly after the transplant.

“It wasn’t until I heard from the recipient of my donation that I really understood what I did,” said Tyler. “Being able to give a person the ability to continue their life is amazing. He told me that we’re ‘brothers’ through my donation and that he’s going to live a more positive life and travel once he recovers. Hearing that made this experience one of the most gratifying things I had ever done.”

Having gone through the donation process, Tyler recommends that everyone join the registry.

“It was an amazing opportunity and I’m glad I did it,” said Tyler. “It’s probably the easiest and most rewarding thing I’ve done. Gift of Life does everything to accommodate you. I cannot say enough how everyone in the organization was so amazing, and so was the experience.”

Tyler, 21, is a student at the University of South Carolina and lives in Columbia, S.C. When not in class, he enjoys playing guitar, listening to music and hiking.