Passing on the blessings

“I am blessed and lucky that I've had the outcome that I've had. I'm the beneficiary of what had already been accomplished, and the people who were already on the registry. Now, I want to help grow the registry even more so that other people can find their matches.” —Marrow transplant recipient and financial contributor Michael Stewart

In 2004, Michael Stewart was feeling fatigued. As someone who "works too much" and travels a lot, feeling tired was normal, but this time something felt "off." Michael's intuition was right. His doctors diagnosed him with hairy cell leukemia. He received treatment until he felt back to normal. His leukemia had come and gone, and Michael was ready to move on.

But in 2013, the fatigue returned. This time it was myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Michael was admitted to the ICU, in need of a life-saving marrow transplant.

None of Michael's siblings were a full-genetic marrow match. His doctor started a search of the NMDP Registry. Multiple matches were identified, but several of the potential donors backed out for various reasons. Finally, a 24-year-old woman on the registry said "yes." She was a 10 out of 10 match.

Michael's transplant took place on New Year's Eve, giving him the most amazing way to ring in the New Year.

Today, Michael is back to working full-time and traveling. As he reflects on his transplant journey, Michael says he had it "easy" compared to so many other patients who endure a long and frightening process, with no guarantee of a happy ending.

Last year, Michael's gratitude for his recovery inspired him to "pay it forward" by making a financial gift of $25,000 to help other patients and their families. Michael is now implementing a gift to NMDP through his estate plans.

If you're interested in making a financial gift to NMDP, like Michael, please contact Amy Bigot at (763) 406-8725 | Toll Free: (800) 507-54271 or amy.bigot@nmdp.org. We'd be happy to help find the right gift for you.