COVER STORY
Be a Match
Juliette Winter was just trying to get a free t-shirt. But she ended up saving the life of a woman with leukemia.
It all started when Winter – a 2020 graduate of Glenbard West High School – was a sophomore at the University of Vermont, where she’s studying to become a physical therapist. She was walking across campus when she saw that volunteers for Be The Match – an organization that matches blood stem cell donors with people in need – were offering t-shirts that proclaimed “Best Cheeks on Campus” to anyone willing to undergo a quick, painless cheek swab.
Juliette did the swab, got the t-shirt, and didn’t think too much more about it. Then, last fall, she received a letter letting her know that her healthy stem cells were a match for a 40-year-old woman with leukemia. After some additional testing, Juliette was brought to an outpatient clinic in Florida, where she celebrated the New Year by donating her stem cells through a non-surgical procedure, similar to donating blood. Juliette’s healthy cells have now been transplanted into the patient, who has every hope for a full recovery.
“It was a life-changing experience,” Juliette says. “It opened my eyes that there are so many different organizations that help people live their everyday lives.”
Every year, thousands of people are diagnosed with sickle cell anemia, leukemia, lymphoma, and other life-threatening blood cancers. To help them find matching donors for stem cell transplants, Be The Match (now known as NMDP, which stands for National Marrow Donor Program) operates a global transplant network.
Juliette is a hero to me, and I hope her story will inspire others to become donors. To learn more, and find out whether your stem cells could help save a life, please click here.