In issue 170 of our MinD magazine (February 2026) I talk about my stem cell donation. It started back in 2017, almost by chance, when I spontaneously registered as a donor during a routine blood donation, without expecting much to come of it. Eight years later the call finally came that I might be a match for a patient.
The donation itself took around 3.5 hours. During that time my blood was cycled through a machine almost twice, which filtered out close to 300 millilitres of stem cell solution. What impressed me most was the professionalism behind the whole process, and how little effort it actually takes to give a stranger a new chance.
Would I do it again? Without hesitation. If you want to know how a stem cell donation really works, from registration through to the donation itself, read the full interview.
You might carry the right match for someone inside you right now. Registering takes only a few minutes. Sign up with DKMS or AKB and you could become someone’s 3.5 hours.
