Aimee's Donation Story
"In the grand scheme of things, it was such a small thing for me to do to make a big impact. It made perfect sense that if I was a match for this person, it was my obligation to donate. I hope that someone would do the same for me."
Aimee first registered as a donor with DKMS in 2014 while at a concert. The quick 3-minute cheek swab was all it took! Then, in January 2023, she got an email from DKMS saying she was a match for a 51-year-old gentleman. She was immediately ready to donate but it wasn't long after she received the call that Aimee and her family learned that her dad was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. She shared:
"When I found out that my dad had multiple myeloma, I was really hoping I could be the donor for this person because I couldn’t do anything for my dad. It was a helpless time for my family because my dad has always been the strong patriarch who doesn’t complain and is always really positive. For him to get sick was quite shocking for all of us. We all felt powerless because he is always the one that helps us and in his time of need, we couldn’t really do anything.
In one way, it feels like this was my karmic way to help someone else when I couldn’t help my dad. The person I donated to has his own full story that has nothing to do with me but it felt good to be able to help someone since, in a way, I wasn’t able to help my dad.”
There is a lot of misconception about what being a donor means and what the donation consists of. 85-90% of donations are done through Peripheral Blood Stem Cell collection - a process very similar to donating plasma.
Registering as a donor is a quick eligibility questionnaire having a free swab kit sent directly to you. Complete the easy 3-minute cheek swab, return it in the pre-paid envelope and you're on the list as a potential lifesaver! Reach out to info@dkms.org if you have any questions.
DKMS Contact Person
