It’s a reality for too many with blood diseases and cancers. Hopefulness with the start of radiation or other treatment fades to disappointment. Fear threatens to suffocate patients’ dreams of seeing their children into adulthood, meeting their grandchildren, traveling the world, and other opportunities of a lifetime. A blood stem cell transplant might cure them or give them more time in many cases. Their first hope is for a match from a family member, but it’s not guaranteed. Then, their only remaining hope rests upon the generosity of a total stranger.
A 2016 Facebook post shared the dream of a young man who wanted to keep dancing. Cancer bullied, pushing and pulling in a dervish whirl in dark contrast to the measured, fluid movements in the ballroom. Each dance might be the last. A blood marrow donation, though, might ensure that he lives to dance in the ways the music, not cancer, moves him.
The post captivated Colby Prince. What if donating his stem cells could keep the dream of dancing alive? What if it fulfilled the dream of another whose life depended on receiving a life-giving transplant?
“There was a guy the same age as me, and he talked about how he liked to dance and that he had blood cancer and was waiting for a match for the chance to cure him so he could keep dancing — keep living. That really spoke to me. You know, what if that was me or somebody I knew? What if I was his match to keep him alive so he could keep dancing?” Prince said with conviction.
That post by the National Marrow Donor Program prompted Prince to research the donor process further. Videos of donors and recipients meeting brought tears to his eyes and inspired him to register as a potential donor. As he reviewed information on the site about the donation process, he had no doubts about proceeding.
“Who am I to say no? Who am I not to give somebody a life-changing gift such as that?” he said. “It’s really a simple process. They sent me a kit in the mail — a simple mouth swab — very easy and painless. You just package it back up and send it off, and it was all free.”
In 2023, the call came. Prince was a match.
“I was so ready to jump in, do all the blood work, and hit the ground running. Then, I was told that we were not going to go any further. I was a little disheartened but still hopeful and remained on the registry. It’s such a rare opportunity to find a match,” said Prince.
According to the National Marrow Donor Program’s website, the odds of finding a match vary based on ethnicity from 29% to 79%. According to Prince, the odds of being called upon to donate twice are rare.
But the rare, rare thing happened nearly a year later. Prince was a match again.
“Luckily, I got the second call for a completely different person, which was great. It was a very quick process. I was very nervous that I wasn’t going to get to go through this again, but luckily everything went well.”
Like all donors, he took filgrastim injections for the five days leading up to the donation, a medication that increases the number of blood-forming cells in the bloodstream. He experienced headaches and bone pain, which were typical side effects. The bone pain intensified as donation day approached, but he focused on his commitment and its life-saving potential.
A peripheral blood stem cell procedure involves blood drawn from one arm passing through a machine that separates the blood-forming cells. The machine then returns the remaining blood through the other arm. Prince underwent this eight-hour procedure because he agreed to participate in a scientific study.
As with organ donation, the recipient decides whether or not to meet with the donor. Either of them can reach out through the registry program and may choose whether or not to respond.
Prince shared, “A lot of people do want to meet their recipients and donors, but there are some cases where they don’t. I’m open to meeting, but I respect if he or she doesn’t want to. This wasn’t a process I did to meet somebody like that. It was just a process to change someone’s life.”
The experience is at the top of the list for a man his friends call a modern-day renaissance man. As someone who likes to stay busy, the same curiosity that sparked the donation sparks his varied hobbies. Cooking and baking, home decorating, and quilting and crocheting only begin to describe his interests.
Prince is also the food critic for Good News Shelbyville.
“I have a degree in mass communications, have written articles, and have experience in photography. Because of my love for food and my home cooking and baking, I have all the experience [to fulfill the position].”
His desire to help someone like the young man who wanted to keep dancing compelled him to donate. He longed to match someone in need. Later, he realized someone was longing for a match, too.
“Who am I to not go through some hip pain, a headache, and a little blood drawn just to save somebody’s life? If you are that one key to someone’s door to live their life, how awesome and how much of a blessing is that!” he affirmed.
What if you’re that one key to someone’s door to life? GN
