JULY 22, 2019 – A young Texas woman who donated blood stem cells to save the life of a Michigan woman battling acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) will finally meet and learn the identity of her transplant recipient in Boca Raton on July 30.
The Granbury, Texas donor, 21, who attends Mississippi State University, and her Oscoda, Michigan recipient, 64, will come together at Gift of Life Marrow Registry’s Campus Ambassador Symposium. Their highly anticipated introduction will take place at about 6:30 p.m. in the Oasis Ballroom of the Boca Raton Marriott at Boca Center. Medical privacy laws require donors and recipients to remain anonymous for at least one year post-transplant.
The donor joined Gift of Life’s marrow registry at a recruitment drive held on campus in 2017. Only a few months later, during final exams, she was informed she was a match and traveled to Washington, D.C. for the stem cell collection procedure.
Between July 28-31, the Campus Ambassador Symposium will convene 115 student leaders from more than 68 colleges and universities for education and training in donor recruitment. Transplant doctors seek donors ages 18-35 more than 90 percent of the time due to clinical reasons that improve transplant outcomes. Campus Ambassadors play a critical role in facilitating life-saving donor-transplant matches through campus recruitment drives.
Since launching in 2014, 540 Campus Ambassadors have volunteered more than 20,200 hours to add 42,350 people to the registry, producing 85 life-saving matches. In all, 229 Campus Ambassadors at 103 colleges and universities will host drives and events during the 2019-20 school year.
“Our campus ambassadors are such an amazing force for growing Gift of Life and saving even more lives,” said Gift of Life Founder and CEO Jay Feinberg. “When they get the opportunity to witness a donor and recipient finally meet face-to-face, they will experience the life-changing impact of their heroic efforts.”
Introduction taking place at Gift of Life Marrow Registry Campus Ambassador Symposium, Boca Raton Marriott, 6:30 pm July 30
For more details about this inspiring donor-recipient meeting and about Gift of Life Marrow Registry, please contact Joe Berkofsky, at joe@puderpr.com
About Gift of Life Marrow Registry
Gift of Life Marrow Registry is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Boca Raton, Fla. The organization, established in 1991, is dedicated to saving lives and facilitating bone marrow and blood stem cell transplants for patients with leukemia, lymphoma, and other blood-related diseases. To learn more about Gift of Life Marrow Registry, visit www.giftoflife.org
