Shoba was the only stem cell match in the world

Shoba was working her regular shift when she received an email from the Australian Bone Marrow Donor Registry (ABMDR). They were looking for Australians of Indian descent to donate stem cells. Working at Lifeblood, Shoba knew how important it was to have a diverse donor pool, and she’d always wanted to become a stem cell donor. This was the final push she needed to make it happen.     

“Across the entire global database, Shoba was the only person 
to match with this recipient and potentially save their life.” 

Signing up was easy, and three months later Shoba received a phone call with some very exciting news. She was a match for a recipient. Additional tests were needed to confirm the match and Shoba tried not to get her hopes up while she waited for results, but she was excited to think she could help save a stranger’s life. 

Within a few weeks, the match had been confirmed and the team at AMBDR asked if Shoba was willing to go through with the donation. Her answer was a resounding ‘Yes!’  

Unlike a blood donation, stem cell donations require a lot of preparation. Shoba underwent a regular blood screening, ECG, X-ray, vein assessment and a full physical to make sure she could safely donate. She was also able to chat to the team who would be collecting her stem cells, to ask any questions and learn how to administer her pre-donation injections.

Shoba also consulted with the haematologist who told her that across the entire global database, she was the only person to match with this recipient. The recipient had cancer and needed Shoba's stem cells to survive. Understandably, Shoba found this incredible — but also a little daunting. 

On the day of her donation, Shoba was nervous but excited. When the collection was complete, the team informed her that she had donated an incredible 13 million stem cells — surpassing their goal of 12 million. And they were already getting prepped to be sent to their anonymous recipient. 

Looking back on her experience, Shoba is so grateful to have played a part in such an amazing process, “I gave a stranger a chance to live and be healthy. What a great healthcare system to have managed this process so well. Right now, my stem cells are working to heal someone!"

If you'd like to sign up to become a stem cell donor, h​​ead to www.abmdr.org.au or ask the Lifeblood staff at your local donor centre for more info — you can even get your samples collected during your donation.