Robin Roberts’ nephew saves life as stem cell donor

When Jeremiah Craft was a child, he watched his aunt. ”Good morning, America“Co-anchor robin robertsreceive lifesaving treatment Bone marrow transplantation.

The stem cells used are 2012 transplant Kraft’s mother donated to help save Roberts’ life. sally ann roberts,was. perfect match For her sister.

The Roberts sisters’ journey was unique because 70% of patients who require a bone marrow transplant do not have an exact donor match in their family. to the Democratic Partya nonprofit organization that manages a global bone marrow registry.

In most cases, patients must rely on donations from strangers who are on the NMDP registry.

With these statistics in mind, Sally Ann Roberts persuaded Ms. Kraft, then a teenager, to enroll in the NMDP registry. Enrollment involves submitting a simple swab of the inside of the cheek to help match current or future patients.

“Basically, my mom ‘spontaneously’ told me to sign up. It was kind of a forced suggestion,” Kraft, now 29, told GMA.

A few years later, to her surprise, Kraft said she received a call saying she was matched with a stranger.

Take the first step to becoming a bone marrow donor today.visit my.nmdp.org/gma Or, text GMA to 61474 to request a swab kit.

At the time, Ms. Kraft refused to participate in the transplant. According to NMDP, for a variety of reasons, less than half of potential donors agree to donate if a match is found.

“Unfortunately, at the time I was just thinking about myself,” Kraft said of her decision. “I didn’t heed the call because it was a selfish act.”

Kraft said she quickly regretted her decision, saying, “Up until this point, I was convinced it was going to be the biggest mistake of my life.”

In January, Kraft unexpectedly got a second chance. He received another call from the Democratic Party informing him of his election.

“From then on, I couldn’t help but say yes because I thought about that person every day,” Craft said of her decision to become a donor.

His mother, Sally Ann Roberts, added: “He didn’t hesitate. He was ready.”

Deciding to move forward, Kraft underwent five days of injections to stimulate her blood stem cells in preparation for her donation day.

Kraft then traveled from New York City to Houston in March to complete the donation. As is standard protocol, Kraft’s travel expenses were covered by his NMDP.

The organization pays all donor travel and non-medical expenses, as well as medical expenses not covered by insurance. According to the website.

Robin Roberts spoke to Kraft ahead of Giving Day and called him a “superhero.”

“I’m proud of you,” she told her nephew.

Kraft said she is “thankful to God” that saving her life made a difference a second time.

“I’m just a normal guy trying to do the right thing the second time around,” he said. “I’m just thankful to God that as I get older from pretending to be a hero, I learn what’s important and I get to actually save lives.”

Kraft donated through peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs). Donation is a nonsurgical procedure that takes blood from one arm, runs it through a machine that separates blood-forming cells, and returns the remaining blood to the other arm. According to the Democratic Party.

In Craft’s case, the donation took a total of 5 hours, but the amount of time it takes to donate may vary.

Another donation method is bone marrow. This is usually a one-day procedure that is done in a hospital and uses a needle to remove liquid marrow from behind the pelvic bone. Donors typically stay in the hospital from early morning until late afternoon, and most donors feel fully recovered within a few weeks. According to the Democratic Party.

Take the first step to becoming a bone marrow donor today.visit my.nmdp.org/gma Or, text GMA to 61474 to request a swab kit.