Isaac Smith found himself at Hillel’s bone marrow drive the winter of his freshman year, unaware of what would happen just a year later.
Smith, a sophomore studying political science, received a call from the Gift Of Life Bone Marrow Foundation in December of 2011, letting him know that he was a potential match for a patient. After multiple blood and tissue tests and months of waiting, Smith will find out the final outcome on May 31.
Smith’s potential match is a 71-year-old female with Myelodysplastic Syndrome, a cancer similar to leukemia. If he is chosen as the best match, he will be flown to a specified transplant location where more tests will be performed.
“They need to be 100 percent certain that I'm a match for the patient and in good physical health and that nothing in my genetics could adversely affect the recipient’s health,” Smith said. “If I'm still a green light at that point, then I will actually go through the donation.”
If he isn’t chosen as the donor, his name will be released back into the registry where it will stay until he turns 61 or until he is chosen as a potential match for someone else.
Although Smith hadn’t yet received word of the decision as of Wednesday, he still feels excited about his opportunity.
“I'd really like to get the opportunity to donate because I'd really like to be able to save this person's life if that's possible,” Smith said.
Hillel’s swabbing drives have been operating in Athens for about four years, said Rabbi Danielle Leshaw, executive director of Hillel.
“One of our student leaders, Erica Cohen, a 2009 Ohio University graduate, had a childhood friend who needed a match,” Leshaw said. “She decided to do a bone marrow drive and left a legacy behind that we are proud of.”
Hillel swabs multiple times per year to give students an opportunity to reflect on their commitment, she added.
“We understand that it takes time to step up and want to do this, and that’s why we are always available,” Leshaw said. “We want them to be informed.”
About 2,526 students from OU are in the Gift of Life registry and 11 potential matches have been confirmed, said Shayne Pilpel, the lead recruitment coordinator for Gift of Life.
“More people are being diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses that could require a bone marrow transplant,” Pilpel said. “If more people joined the registry, their donor could in fact be waiting for them versus the other way around.”
Swabbing to be a potential donor is simple because the overall steps have a low impact on the donor and have the potential to save another person's life, Smith said.
“If you and your body can handle it, I can't really see the drawbacks,” he said.
ao007510@ohiou.edu
