Farshid (above) donated stem cells in 2008 to save a young man diagnosed with blood cancer. 

Sixteen years ago, a young Persian Jewish man donated blood stem cells to help a patient battling myelodysplastic disorder. That donor, Farshid Bitahoun, recently contacted Gift of Life again to express how meaningful that donation still is for him today.

“I joined Gift of Life on my birthday in 1999,” said Farshid. “I decided it was the greatest mitzvah I could do.”

At that time, he gave a blood sample to join the registry, as buccal (cheek) swabs for testing stem cell donors wouldn’t be introduced until a few years later by Gift of Life, in 2001.  The cheek swab quickly became the preferred testing method for registries worldwide.

In 2008, Farshid got a phone call from Gift of Life that he was a match for a young man diagnosed with myelodysplastic disorder and in urgent need of a transplant.    

“I thought it was a sales pitch at first!” said Farshid. “But they gave me the phone number of a previous donor who lived in my area to talk to, so I called him. He was a very nice person, reassuring me that it was a safe procedure, with no side effects.  He gave me some comfort that it was the right decision. After that phone call, I was 100% sure I would donate.”

He also checked with a member of his extended family who is a doctor about taking Neupogen in advance of donating, to help mobilize the stem cells into the circulating bloodstream for collection.

“He told me, ‘We use it in the hospital every day, there’s nothing to worry about,’” said Farshid.

His collection took place at the University of Maryland Medical Center, so Farshid flew to Baltimore and in addition to donating stem cells, spent several days sightseeing in the area.

Farshid’s family was incredibly proud of him for donating and performing such an important mitzvah – but the story does not end there!

Ten years after Farshid joined Gift of Life, his younger brother, Afshid (above) was on his Birthright Israel trip in 2009 when a team from Gift of Life visited his tour group and offered them the opportunity to join the registry.  With a brother who had just donated in 2008, for Afshid there was no question – he signed up right away.

Less than a year, Afshid matched a man diagnosed with acute leukemia, and was offered the chance to donate stem cells. 

“I was only a few weeks into a new job,” said Afshid. “I asked the owner of the company if I could take the time to fly to Maryland to donate stem cells for this patient. ‘How can I say no? You might save a life!’ he told me.” 

With two donors in the family – which is very rare indeed! – the Bitahoun brothers have also been supportive of Gift of Life’s mission over the years, including participating in the Celebrating Life Los Angeles event multiple times.

“I think that at Gift of Life you do the ultimate mitzvah,” said Farshid. “It’s the whole organization working together. I encourage everyone, of every background, to join the registry and help save lives.”

Afshid (l) and Farshid have participated in the Los Angeles Celebrating Life events several times, to raise awareness of the need for donors to help save more lives.