Elizaveta first donated whole blood while she was still in graduate school. At work, the girl regularly participated in donor events, and in November 2022 at one of them she donated a blood sample and joined the Federal Register.

“I only knew general information about bone marrow donation at the time, but I decided it wasn't worth anything to me, so I joined. I am happy that I did end up becoming a donor,” recalls Elizaveta.

When the girl received the call about the genotype match, she was amazed, because it is very rare. Elizaveta had no doubts about her decision to become a donor, but was worried about how to tell her loved ones about it. The method of apheresis was chosen for the donation — before the procedure, hematopoietic stem cells are stimulated to escape into the bloodstream.

“As a chemist, I was particularly interested in learning all about the technical component of the upcoming procedure. I was optimistic. An unexpected surprise was my body's high sensitivity to the anticoagulant: my hands, feet and face went numb,” the girl says.

Elizaveta was helped to cope with unpleasant sensations during the procedure by thinking about the life of the recipient whom she could save. The girl would very much like to meet him in the future.

“I can't urge everyone to necessarily join the Registry. But if you don't have any health contraindications, why not give it a try? It can really save someone's life,” shares Elizaveta.

We express our sincere gratitude to Elizaveta for her brave act and saving the life of a recipient!