Six years ago, Jacob decided to join the registry in the hope that he would someday be able to help someone survive blood cancer. He ordered a swab kit from Gift of Life’s website, completed it at home and sent it back in the mail. 

“Cancer runs on both sides of my family, so I knew I had to do my part to help,” said Jacob. “My grandfather and father both had cancer at one time. My father had leukemia and received a marrow transplant from his sister, and at the time I joined the registry I worked in a hospital and saw patients struggling with cancer.”

He matched with a patient only months after signing up, but that transplant did not go through. He was returned to “active” status as a potential donor, but he knew matches are difficult to find and didn’t really expect to be called again.

“When I received the text this time I couldn’t believe I had matched again,” said Jacob. “A conversation with Gift of Life confirmed that a male patient in his 70s needed stem cells to treat blood cancer. I told my colleagues at work, and I told my girlfriend when I got home – everyone was excited for me and intrigued about what Gift of Life does.”

Since Jacob, 32, lives in a small agricultural town, there was no local visiting nurse resource for him to receive filgrastim shots. Filgrastim is used to prepare for donation as it cues the bone marrow to produce extra stem cells before collection. 

“My workplace was very supportive, as I had to take off an entire week and fly down to Gift of Life’s center in Florida a bit early to receive the injections,” said Jacob. “The week I was in Boca Raton there was a festival right on the street outside my hotel – good entertainment right on the beach! I also met another stem cell donor staying there who shared his experience with me and talked about how he had joined the registry.”

When his donation day arrived, Jacob had a great experience and recovered quickly.

“The Uber brought me to Gift of Life, and I was immediately met with kindness and respect,” he said. “The donation was super easy; I watched TV and played video games and got to know the nursing staff. My recovery was as if I had never donated. I had no symptoms and felt perfectly fine before, during and after.”

Jacob had a warm welcome waiting for him back home. He is not only a vice president at one of the local banks, he’s the town mayor, so word got out not only among local residents, but across the entire county. 

“You would have thought I was a celebrity,” said Jacob. “Word got out fast, not just in town but across the county, and I received many messages from both friends and strangers thanking me for donating and explaining how much it meant to them because cancer had affected their lives in some way. The local newspaper and the radio station both asked for interviews, and when I went into a restaurant in the next town over, someone said, ‘Hey, I know you!’ Luckily, this has died down, but I made sure to tell everyone where to order a swab kit to sign up for the registry.” He also organized a donor registration table during the annual agricultural festival.

Jacob also wants the chance to meet his recipient, saying, “I want to be able to shake his hand and hopefully congratulate him on kicking cancer’s butt!” 

His advice to those thinking of joining the registry? “SIGN UP NOW! It’s easy, and if you are already a blood donor, it’s a similar process – there is no reason not to do it.” 

Jacob, 32, is the father of a 5-month-old daughter, a bank vice president, and mayor of a small agricultural town in Missouri. He serves on several area boards including zoning and the area’s major annual festival. In his free time, he enjoys spending time with his family and daughter, landscaping, and working in his yard.