Dylan, 22, joined Gift of Life during a special annual donor recruitment event at the University of South Carolina, the Sweet Caroline Drive, held annually by Delta Zeta Sorority in honor of their late sister, Caroline Terry.  “The sorority was asking for people to sign up, and I was a little surprised at first that they were looking for people so young,” said Dylan. A stem cell transplant patient has a better chance of recovery if their stem cell or marrow donor is 18 to 35 years old (Learn why!), so people of college age are actually the ideal donors. “When I read more about it, I thought it was a cool thing to have a chance to save someone, and I got excited about giving back and helping my recipient, who is in his 70s and has myelodysplastic disorder,” said Dylan. “To be honest, at first, I was a little hesitant to do this because I didn’t know about the process, but now I would encourage anyone to reach out with questions and even your hesitancies. They do a great job of explaining everything that goes on. I got to come to Florida to donate, and I love it, it’s been very nice, a great place to spend a couple of days. In the end, it has been more than worth it to help someone out.”

Sawyer, 23, was matched with a patient almost exactly two years after joining the registry. “There was a Gift of Life table at Grand Valley State University in 2023, and it was just a cheek swab,” said Sawyer. “It was less than a minute to do the registration, and then in 2025 they called to say I matched someone. Initially, when I got the call, I didn’t know if it was real, I thought it might have been a scam. But it actually was Gift of Life, and less than a month later I was in the collection center donating for a woman in her 50s with myelodysplastic disorder. I thought it was cool that I could help her, and she could be someone’s mother or grandmother.”  Sawyer found the collection center experience to be a positive one and appreciated all the support from Gift of Life’s staff members. “They helped me a lot by arranging travel and coordinating, I’ve never had to do anything like that before, so it was good that they took care of it all and made it simple,” he said. “The donation went fine. They checked in on me regularly to make sure I was nice and comfortable. For future donors, my advice: do it. Even though you might miss a few days of work, that’s not really a big deal in the grand scheme of things, especially considering what you’re actually getting out of the donation. I know I’m doing a good thing by helping her out.”

Joseph, 36, was thrilled to finally get his chance to save a life 16 years after joining the registry in 2009. “I was at a high school event at the local Jewish Community Center when I was 18, and a Gift of Life representative came in,” said Joseph. “They offered us the opportunity to do a cheek swab, so I did. A few years later, my sister volunteered with Gift of Life, speaking at numerous events regularly to encourage people to become donors. It’s an organization I love, and I’m very grateful for the opportunity that has been presented to me to help this patient, a man in his 40s diagnosed with leukemia.” It was not Joseph’s first chance, though. He was a preliminary match for a patient years ago, but another donor was most likely selected as a closer match. “When I got the call this time, my reaction was ‘Let’s get this party started!’” said Joseph. “I was super excited, ready to get the medical tests needed and ready to donate. I’m not actually great with needles in general – I’m kind of a fainter – but this was well worth doing, an incredible journey. My advice for future donors is to just do it. You’ve been given the opportunity to potentially save a life; you have this chance to enrich another person’s life, and I think that giving this gift is the most fulfilling thing you can do. I have family members that have gone through cancer, and there’s nothing better in this world than helping someone. What else are you going to do in your lifetime?”

You, too, could save someone's life.

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