Why I’m on the blood stem cell donor registry

When I was 18 years old, a man approached me while I was sitting on the steps in the main plaza at my college. He explained to me that his 7 year old son had been diagnosed with a rare blood disorder and asked me to join the blood stem cell donor registry. He explained that the registry needed more Black folks like him, his child, and me since folks are often more likely to match with someone of their same ethnicity.

Then he explained the donation process to me. Today, for most people donating blood stem cells isn’t very different from donating blood. I think it must’ve been different back then though because I remember the idea of donating gave me pause. But I decided it was a small price to pay to save someone’s life. I added my information to the donor registry that day. (The process to be added to the registry only involves a cheek swab.)

Although most registries keep potential donors on their lists until they turn 61, I’ve never been contacted to donate—either to that child or to anyone else. But I’ve thought of that family often and hope they found the donor they were looking for.

Fast forward years and years later and now my own father, Lou, is facing a leukemia diagnosis and looking for a blood stem cell donor. There was a perfect match on the registry but, when contacted, the person said that they’d changed their mind about donating.

I wondered if they were like me—added to the registry when they were younger and now, decades later, imagining that they’d never be contacted. If so, what a surprising call that must’ve been. Maybe they registered for the purpose of donating only to one specific person. Maybe they had no idea that their name would remain in the registry for years.

Today, I’m encouraging everyone eligible to donate to do so. But I also want people to understand that they could be called to donate at anytime: in five months, five years, 10 years, or possibly longer. What I want people to know is that it’s very important to only say “yes” to joining the regsitry if you’re committed to donating because changing your mind could be life-threatening to the person you match with.

If you want to learn more about becoming a blood stem cell donor, visit https://my.bethematch.org/Lou4Life —and if you think you feel ready to make the commitment to saying “yes,” I hope you join the registry!