In July 2024, Josh felt inspired to do what his sister Jade had done. After she donated peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) to help save the life of a man diagnosed with myelodysplastic disorder, a type of bone marrow cancer, Josh went to the Gift of Life Marrow Registry website and requested a kit be sent to his home so he could register.

“When Jade was at the collection center with our mother donating stem cells, the topic of family came up,” said Josh. “The nurses at the collection center told them there was a need for men in their 20s to join the registry. When Jade came home, she encouraged me to join, so I did.”

But Jade's donation wasn’t the only reason he joined the registry. The opportunity to help others called out to him as well. “It seemed like a no-brainer,” said Josh, “like a simple thing to do to make a difference in someone’s life.”

Almost a year later, Josh was at work when he received a phone call from Gift of Life. He had been identified as a match.

“I remember I was sitting at my desk at work, it was just before the tax deadline, when I got the call,” said Josh. “It took me a second to realize what was going on, as I had forgotten I joined the registry. It was cool realizing that I had the chance to potentially save someone’s life. I told my mom, dad and Jade about the call, and they were excited for me as well!”

After some preliminary testing to confirm that Josh was the best possible match for his patient, he agreed to donate at the Adelson Collection Center in Gift of Life’s Boca Raton headquarters.

“Coordinating travel to Florida was super easy,” said Josh. “The people at Gift of Life were great to work with, very accommodating. They told me I could bring a guest, so I brought my sister along with me! My workplace was very proud of me for donating and gave me some time off to do it.”

Josh and Jade were put up in a hotel in Delray Beach, Fla., and a meal and travel stipend were provided to them by Gift of Life. On the day of his donation, a car service was organized to bring them to the collection center, where they were greeted by staff members.

“The center staff treated us amazingly,” said Josh. “They were super welcoming, appreciative, and happy to see us. They did everything in their power to make me feel comfortable the whole day. Immediately, we had snacks and drinks available, and they provided lunch for us. My sister and I chatted a little bit and watched some Netflix during the donation. It went pretty quickly, only about three hours. I asked the nurse to check how long my sister’s donation had been, and mine was a bit faster!”

Josh’s recovery was also very quick. He was feeling back to normal the day after his donation. 

Regarding his donation experience, Josh wants others to know that feeling nervous is normal, but that donors like him and his sister aren’t alone through the process.

“It can be a little overwhelming hearing the process laid out in the beginning, but somebody from Gift of Life is with you every step of the way,” said Josh. “If you ever have any hesitations or questions, there’s always someone there willing to talk you through it and help you through.”

Josh feels very proud to have donated and encourages others to join the registry if and when they can. 

“Being able to go through with it, potentially saving someone’s life, giving them more time to be with their friends and family, helping them with the horrible disease they’re battling, it’s just really special to be part of that.”

Josh, 25, is an alumnus of Virginia Tech, where he received his Bachelor of Financial Planning degree. He now lives in Richmond, Va., where he works as a financial advisor. In his free time, Josh enjoys playing golf, fishing, and riding his motorcycle on the weekends.