Everyday hero: Student saves life with stem cells for leukemia patients

Everyday hero: Student saves life with stem cells for leukemia patients

Rheinpfalz, Deutschland - In 2025, 27-year-old Marvin Susek, a former soldier of the Bundeswehr, donated stem cells for a 60-year-old leukemia patient. This was the result of a long way that Susek began in 2016 when he registered with the Stefan-Morsch-Foundation as a potential stem cell donor. At that time he took part in a typing call and became one of over 500,000 registered members of this foundation who has been active since 1986 and is committed to the mediation of stem cell dispensers as well as the support of patients and their families.

nine years after his registration, Susek received the call that his genetic twin urgently needed a stem cell donation. Despite his upcoming degree in biology, he immediately decided to donate. "I wanted to help," explained Susek, who keeps his sporting fit with strength and endurance training.

typing and donation

The donation itself took place through apheresis, a process in which the stem cells are filtered out of the blood. Before the actual donation, Susek had to inject a medication to stimulate the production of stem cells. This type of donation is often used because it manages without general anesthesia and inpatient stay. In about 25% of cases, however, bone marrow is also taken from general anesthesia, which requires a three -day hospital stay, such as the Ärzteblatt

Marvin Susek learned that his stem cells of the 60-year-old patient would help whose leukemia had brought her into a life-threatening situation. This cancer, also known as blood cancer, creates the uncontrolled growth of faulty white blood cells in the bone marrow. A stem cell transplantation often offers the only chance of recovery, especially if chemotherapy or radiation cannot be sufficient.

an appeal for typing

SUSEK has anonymous contact with the patient who plans to meet him after a year. He wants to encourage others to be typed in order to increase the chances of a suitable stem cell donation for other patients. An average of 13,500 people in Germany fall ill annually in leukemia, and the likelihood of ever becoming a stem cell dispenser is around 1.5%. This shows how important a broad registration of potential donors is.

Typing is usually painless and possible for healthy people aged 18 and over; For people aged 16 and over, the consent of the custody is required. A simple cheek smear is sufficient to include in the database and possibly save lives. The Stefan-morsch-Foundation offers the opportunity to register online in order to increase awareness of the need for stem cell donors.

Since only about 25% of the patients find suitable HLA-identical siblings, the importance of foreign donors for successful treatment increases. Susek is an example of how to have a simple decision to be typed, can have far -reaching effects. His use could not only have saved the life of a patient, but also inspire others to make an active contribution to combating blood cancer.