My Donation Story

3 consecutive missed calls from an unknown #. The 4th I picked up. It was Be The Match

Be The Match keeps donor and recipient anonymous from each other for 1 year following donation. I wrote the letter below to my recipient after doing my part:

12/18/19

Crazy that you and I are a near perfect DNA match, yet we're "unrelated"

Even crazier that you may not have had a chance at life if Be The Match hadn't found us.

Truly humbled to be in a healthy and capable position to take on this battle to help fight your war.

This one goes out to the times I've been helpless when tragedy has struck my life. Empowering to know I can make a difference for you.

Stay strong buddy. Can't wait to meet you in this life or next.

-Austin

One Year Later...

I received news from Be The Match that my recipient's family was interested in connecting with me. After confirming my interest as well, Be The Match lifted the veil of anonymity.

The weight of our words together shared stick with me today.

I was relieved, emotional and elated to hear that my recipient had taken on my bone marrow and in time, won his war against cancer.

From donation day onward, my recipient would no longer have the blood type he was born with - he would share mine, "A Negative"

But that is not all that links us together, our paths are forever intertwined.