In April 2023, members of Gift of Life’s Campus Ambassador Program held the second “Swab Week” recruitment drive at Indiana University Bloomington. Ambassadors set up tables across the campus where people swabbed their cheeks to collect cell samples to help find potential stem cell matches for patients battling more than 75 types of cancer and inherited immune diseases. More than 1,400 people joined the registry that week, one of whom was Ava.

“It was the spring semester of my freshman year, and I saw one of the Gift of Life tables,” said Ava. “I decided to join the registry because so many of my loved ones have suffered from cancer and other diseases. I wanted to be able to help others survive and to help families not have to face losing people they love.”

The cheek swab and health questionnaire took less than five minutes for Ava to complete before she was back on her way to class.

Almost a year to the day later, Ava received a phone call from Gift of Life: she had been identified as a match.

“I had just woken up on a Monday morning,” said Ava. “I checked my phone and saw a voicemail. When I listened to it I immediately jumped out of bed and called back. They said I had matched a man with a form of blood cancer and wanted to know if I would be willing to donate. Of course, I said yes.”

Only a few months later, Ava was on a plane to sunny Boca Raton, Fla. to donate at Gift of Life’s Adelson Collection Center. Ava brought her mom, Katie, with her on her donation trip. The travel, accommodations, and a stipend for their meals were provided by Gift of Life.

“The donation felt like a vacation,” said Ava. “The whole process was nothing but perfect. The Gift of Life staff could not have taken better care of me. They were incredibly supportive, and I had no side effects and recovered quickly. My mom and I were even able to catch a Zach Bryan concert while in Florida!”

Ava returned home to a very proud family. She feels that donating was one of her most rewarding experiences.

“This reminded me that good people still exist and perform generous acts like this,” said Ava. “Donating brought me a sense of hope that if I had a loved one who needed a transplant, someone would step up and be brave like me.”

Reinforcing this, shortly after she returned home from her collection, a family friend confided in Ava that she had received a transplant years before.

Ava recommends joining the Gift of Life registry to everyone.

“It is such a cool and rewarding experience to say you saved someone’s life. Do it, help someone out if you can.”

Ava, 20, is a third-year student at Indiana University where she is a member of the Zeta Tau Alpha women’s fraternity. She calls Minnesota home. In her free time, Ava enjoys working out, traveling, and spending time with friends and family.