Anselle first learned that blood stem cell and marrow transplants can cure life-threatening blood diseases during a Gift of Life recruitment presentation. It happened during a donor registration drive at an Alpha Epsilon Delta pre-health honor society meeting at Clemson, organized by Gift of Life's recruitment partner, Project Life Movement. 

“This was my first semester back in 2023, the first chapter meeting of the year, and several different organizations came in to make presentations – Gift of Life was one of them,” said Anselle. “The presentation was very informative, and I thought, ‘Why not sign up? I’m here, I can do it right now.’”

Eight months later, Anselle got an email on her phone while she was at her “externship” at a doctor’s office. Gift of Life was reaching out to tell her she matched a man in his 40s diagnosed with leukemia, and she could help save his life with a stem cell donation.

“I shot out of my seat and began running all over the office telling people!” said Anselle. “I was just telling everyone; I called my mom and my stepdad and found out he had been on the registry for 20 years but had not been called yet. He was teasing me that it wasn’t fair since I hadn’t even been on it for a year!”

Anselle’s mother Rachelle was so proud of her that she posted about it online and soon had people reaching out to her with congratulations and personal stories of lives saved through stem cell transplants. Rachelle even joined Anselle on her trip to Florida to donate at Gift of Life’s beautiful Adelson Collection Center in Boca Raton.

Before donating, those giving stem cells receive injections of filgrastim to help build up the number of cells available. Some donors find that filgrastim gives them a headache, or an aching back or bones, and this was the case for Anselle.

“We had so much fun in Florida, but I will say I didn’t leave the hotel much for a couple days due to the backache from filgrastim,” said Anselle. “We did go walk on the beach, and my mom said that since the trip was fully covered by Gift of Life, she would spring for a day at the hotel spa, which was amazing.”

As it turned out, Anselle’s backache was a good sign: the filgrastim worked so well for her that she mobilized a huge number of stem cells, and her collection went quickly. The process typically takes four to six hours, but Anselle completed her donation in only three hours.

When she got home, Anselle took the opportunity to explain in detail what the process was to her team at work and also to friends.

“At first, most people thought it was like giving plasma, it just goes into a bank,” she said. “When I explained that I was donating one-on-one to a specific patient, a man I may meet someday and my stem cells would go directly to him, people’s perspective changed.”

The fact that her recipient is a close genetic match to her means a lot to Anselle.

“When you give blood, you don’t know where it’s going – you know it is helpful, but it’s hard to connect with the experience,” she said. “My stem cell recipient is a specific person, and while he’s a stranger, I’m helping him directly – it is a humbling experience, and I really hope we have the chance to meet someday.”

Donors and recipients must remain anonymous for the first year after the transplant, but they can send messages through the registry.

“I did give the coordinator a message to send to him with good wishes,” said Anselle. “A week before I donated, I was sitting and watching videos of stem cell donors and recipients meeting for the first time, very emotional videos, I was crying watching them. Donating is so easy, and it is so worth it. I hope more people decide to sign up and help someone.”

Anselle is deciding what area of the healthcare field to specialize in. She is a student at Clemson and a native of South Carolina, as well as a member of the Alpha Epsilon Delta honor society. Anselle also works at a doctor’s office and loves spending time reading and listening to audiobooks and podcasts. She also enjoys singing, painting, and the craft of latch-hooking.