Saving lives is no small task, but SUNY New Paltz student Gavriel “Gavi” Goldstein (psychological science) is working to make it easier for his peers to achieve that goal. He is an ambassador for the campus chapter of Gift of Life, a public bone marrow and blood stem cell registry that matches donors with individuals afflicted with rare and life-threatening cancers to join the registry and support this cause.
The group saw some great success earlier this year, when Goldstein’s good friend and alumnus Allen Gitelman, Class of 2023 (business analytics), received a text message that he matched with a 71-year-old woman battling acute myelogenous leukemia, months after participating in one of the Gift of Life’s donor drives last year.
Through the program, 90% of transplants are of stem cells, which involves a procedure very similar to donating blood. In fact, the blood is returned to the donor’s body because only stem cells are required for a person in need. Donors aren’t a part of a long-term treatment program, but it’s these transplants that save lives.
“The more people join, the more likely we can point to a match for patients with rare diseases,” said Goldstein.
Read more about the Gift of Life and Gavi’s work at newpaltz.edu.
