Jacob, 28, joined the registry in May 2024 at a special event at Webber International University. “I did my cheek swab at a drive held in honor of lacrosse player Saxton Dunlap and his cancer journey,” he said. Saxton, who was multi-racial, did not have a matching donor in the registry and lost his battle with blood cancer in 2020. “This is the right thing to do to give someone else another shot,” said Jacob, who is a match for a man in his 50s diagnosed with acute aplastic anemia. “My father received a heart transplant and got the gift of a second chance at life, so I felt like I would do this.” Jacob also felt that Gift of Life took excellent care of him. “The donation vacation has been very nice, there’s a lot to do in the area, the whole process is very pleasant,” he said. “Gift of Life was very flexible about working around my schedule. If you’re thinking of donating, reach out and ask questions; they are more than willing to assist in any way they can and will do everything to make you feel comfortable.”

Savannah, 25, joined the registry to share good health with someone else in need. “I swabbed while in nursing school early in 2024,” she said. “Then I found out I was a match for a man with acute leukemia before the end of the year. That felt really good, learning I could help him.” Savannah knew the importance of fighting cancer, even before she joined Gift of Life. “Both of my grandfathers had leukemia, and both of my grandmothers had breast cancer, so I knew that donating to help someone else fight cancer was something I wanted to do.” She also appreciated the trip to Florida to donate at the Adelson Collection Center in Gift of Life’s headquarters. “This was a really smooth process and Gift of Life took care of everything – flights, hotels, drivers, it’s all very easy.”

Patrick, 22, donated to give a woman in her 60s her best chance of a cure for blood cancer. “I joined the registry in October 2023 at Indiana University,” he said. “It was awesome to be called as a match less than a year later – it was not only a surprise, but also it was exciting to get this opportunity.” The timing of his donation turned out to be perfect for his schedule. “My donation date fell during spring break, and I was already coming to Florida,” said Patrick. “I was a little hesitant about the time needed for donating at first because I’m still in school, but it wasn’t that big of a deal. Gift of Life is very good about working with you on the scheduling, so it’s not a hassle.” He is also still amazed by how rare it is for two strangers to be a close enough genetic match for a transplant to be possible. “It’s such a rare chance for this to happen, like one in 10,000, so since I’m her match, it’s the right thing to do. I feel like it’s my responsibility to follow through,” he said. “The procedure is not invasive; it’s just something anyone can do. I’m hanging out here right now, donating and watching TV, so it’s pretty easy!”