In 2016, while attending a university blood drive, Kurt Mathes made a seemingly small choice that would later completely change someone’s life.
After filling in his blood donor form, one of the nurses noticed Kurt’s part-Samoan heritage—a background that’s especially crucial for the New Zealand Bone Marrow Registry (NZBMDR), which needs an ethnically diverse range of donors. They asked if he’d be happy to join the registry and he agreed, not thinking much of it at the time.
Years passed without knowing if that choice had amounted to anything.
Then, in 2022, Kurt missed a call from an unknown number that he’d considered ignoring. There was no ignoring the follow-up text that came from the New Zealand Bone Marrow Donor Registry though.
“They said I’d been identified as a potential match and asked if I’d be willing to donate,” Kurt says.
He knew what this could mean for a recipient, so saying yes was easy.
After some initial testing, however, things ground to a halt. The recipient had decided to pursue alternative treatments.
More time passed until, in 2024, Kurt again got the call, this time having saved NZBMDR’s number in his phone.
The recipient, based in the United States, had exhausted their options and was ready to proceed.
Kurt was in a busy stage of life—he’d just started a new job and had recently returned from an overseas trip—but he was eager to help. To his immense relief, the process was extremely smooth.
“The team accommodated my scheduled, arranged morning appointments and transport options, and covered my expenses,” Kurt says.
The pre-donation care was intense. The injections, which stimulate stem cell production, left Kurt feeling fatigued and a bit run down.
“I was lucky that my job affords me a lot of flexibility,” he says. “And NZBMDR supported me every step of the way.”
On donation day, the process was far simpler than he’d expected. He showed up with a laptop and watched movies until the donation session was complete, interrupted only by nurses checking on his status and bringing him food.
Reflecting on the experience, Kurt says the whole process was easy and seamless.
“It’s like a well-oiled machine, but a machine with great bedside manner!”
Kurt is among a special handful of people who have been able to make this type of life-changing donation; every year about 14 Kiwis agree to donate stem cells to others in need.
While there are currently around 13,700 people, and growing, on the New Zealand registry, NZBMDR belongs to a network of registries who have access to more than 42 million donors.
If you’d like to join the donor registry, ask about bone marrow donation at your next blood donation.