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In this Student View column, Ethan Beltrand ’24 shares why he signed up to become a stem cell and bone marrow donor — and the action that he took when the call came that he was a match for someone in need.

As I made my way through the Minnesota State Fair in August 2022, a sign with the words “Save a life, donate stem cells” grabbed my attention. I had just gotten back from spending 12 weeks in Denver at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, doing research on using stem cells for musculoskeletal regenerative medicine, so I was eager to find out what this booth was all about.

It turns out I had found myself at the booth for the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP), an organization formerly known as Be The Match. While interacting with the volunteers about my recent time spent researching stem cells, they told me all about the wonders of stem cell and bone marrow donation. I instantly fell in love with the idea that I could donate bone marrow and/or stem cells to save a person’s life. I decided to join the bone marrow donor registry on the spot. It was really easy to join the registry — all I had to do was fill out a general questionnaire and do a cheek swab. 

I instantly fell in love with the idea that I could donate bone marrow and/or stem cells to save a person’s life. I decided to join the bone marrow donor registry on the spot.

Fast forward to October 2023, just a little over a year after I joined the registry. I received a phone call from NMDP saying that I had “matched” with a patient who was suffering from leukemia. Without hesitation, I knew I wanted to move forward with pursuing the donation process. I was honored to have the opportunity to step up and follow through on this commitment to help others.

Before I was allowed to donate, I had to complete a number of extensive blood tests and pass a physical exam. After all of my testing was completed, I was officially approved to continue with the donation process. Staff members at NMDP were extremely thorough when describing the next steps and what to expect, and they continued to ensure that I knew this process was completely voluntary and that I could back out at any time. I was determined to donate and made every effort to make sure this donation would be a success.

My recipient’s medical team decided to proceed with peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) donation. PBSC donation is a far more common and less invasive procedure than bone marrow donation. PBSC donation is done through a process called apheresis, which is similar to the process used for donating plasma.

To donate, NMDP decided to have me travel to the New York Blood Center in New York City. The organization planned, booked, and paid for all of the flights and hotels for my donation trip. I was also allowed to bring one other person with me on my donation trip to help support me through the process. NMDP also reimbursed me for all the other donation-related medical and travel expenses throughout my donation process, from the time I matched up until after my donation trip was complete.

The week leading up to the donation, I was required to receive three separate injections every day for five days prior to my donation. These injections were done to increase the number of blood-forming cells in the blood. On the day of donation, they attached me to two separate needles, one in each arm. One needle withdrew my blood and sent it to a centrifuge to have the blood-forming cells separated from the rest of the blood. The other needle returned the rest of my blood back into my body. The entire donation took about six hours, but the nurses at the donation center made it very comfortable and enjoyable. Throughout the entire process I had zero pain, discomfort, or side effects, and I was back to playing baseball within five days after donation.

After the donation I felt a significant amount of gratitude to have had this experience and opportunity. My biggest worry was whether my donation would work and truly help my recipient. I am thankful to have had family, friends, and NMDP there to help support me emotionally and remind me that I did everything that I could to help save a person’s life. I know that when the time comes again, I will step up and donate once more without hesitation. 

As an Ole baseball student athlete, I feel that we are put in a unique position where we have the opportunity to have a great impact on the community. As athletes, we have the ability to connect, influence, and serve as role model figures for current students, alumni, community members, and other individuals. By showing my support and willingness to support NMDP’s mission, I hope that I am able to help advocate, influence, and motivate other Oles and community members to join the NMDP registry in hopes of finding future donors. 

As a pre-med kinesiology major and a St. Olaf Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) on campus, I am always fascinated and intrigued by healthcare, medical technology, and medical science. This experience has solidified my love and passion for medicine and healthcare. I am motivated more than ever to continue to pursue my aspirations of attending medical school, where I can strive to aid in the advancement of innovation within healthcare and medical science.

The St. Olaf football team will host a “Get in the Game” event with the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) on Friday, April 26, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Buntrock Plaza. All St. Olaf community members are invited to stop by, learn more about NMDP, and join the registry with a simple questionnaire and cheek swab — much like Beltrand did just a few years ago.