CLEVELAND — It can happen to anyone, regardless of age.

According to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, more than 187,000 people are diagnosed with blood cancer every year. A nonprofit works to connect those cancer patients with transplant matches.

Every three minutes, someone is diagnosed with blood cancer. A lifesaving blood transplant can be the solution. A local college student brought an organization to Kent State to increase the odds of those cancer patients getting matched. It all started with her swabbing her cheek.

Nicole Ratka is a junior at Kent State. In 2022. she donated her stem cells to a blood cancer patient through a nonprofit organization Gift of Life Marrow Registry. She said it was amazing when she got the call, she was a match for her recipient.

“I joined the registry because I would always think if this was somebody in my family who was dying of these blood cancers and really needed this lifesaving, transplant, that somebody would be willing to do that for them," said Ratka.

Ratka did more than just donate her blood. She and Jacob Rathkopf, a Kent State junior, brought the organization to Kent State in January 2024.

“People that are on this registry that are trying to get students to match with them are really like, on their last resort," said Rathkopf.

They’ve gone from just two members to more than 30.

“It really inspired me to bring gift of life to Kent and share, my story with the students and faculty and pretty much everybody on campus, how they could be a lifesaver," said Ratka.

This program matches donors from all over the world, Christina O’Keeffe lives in Virginia. She was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndromes, MDS, in 2022. Ratka was her match. MDS is a group of disorders caused by blood cells that are poorly formed or don't work properly. Complications from the cancer can lead to death.

“I was on chemo for a while to try to stabilize that and, unfortunately went and got a second opinion from a different oncologist because the original one just told me I’d be on chemo the rest of my life," said O’Keeffe. “And fortunately, I got in and got my bone marrow transplant.”

She’s been in remission for two years. According to Gift of Life, she had a one in 200 chance of getting a transplant.

In just over a year, the Kent State chapter has done more than 2,900 cheek swabs and found 30 matches leading to two transplants. Ratka said having this organization on campus helps diversify the donor pool. Donors must be between 18 and 35, be in good health and ready to give someone a second chance at life.

“We are really able to engage the community," said Ratka. “Have fun and add people to the registry to be a potential lifesaver.”

“When you find a match for your stem cell transplant, it is an amazing feeling very hopeful," said O’Keeffe. "And, when you find that match, you've found a hero in the world and Nicole is mine.”

According to Gift of Life Marrow Registry, 70% of donors are strangers.

In January, they surpassed half a million donors on their registry, and in 2023, they completed over 400 transplants, saving 431 lives.  

This chapter recently won emerging organization of the year at Kent State. Ohio State and John Carroll also have chapters. The University of Cincinnati will host a donor registration event through Gift of Life Marrow Registry on April 18.

Gift of Life Marrow Registry Campus Ambassador Program (CAP) started in 2014.

To become a donor and join the registry you can go their website.