Original published date: 4/2/2024

When Rachel was called to donate, she challenged her students to raise funds and realize their power to help others.

Teachers are incredible—they can turn just about any moment into a life-changing lesson. And that’s exactly what Rachel did when she received the news that she’d matched with a patient who needed a blood stem cell donation.

Rachel, a middle school teacher, brainstormed ways to incorporate the donation process into her eighth-grade science class. She wanted to give her students the same gift she’d been given: the power to make a difference in the world.

To connect her students to the cause, she told them story of Thor, a local boy battling sickle cell disease and searching for his life-saving donor match.

Her students were eager to help Thor. Along with Thor’s mother and NMDPSM, they launched an online fundraiser and a text campaign to join the donor registry. Rachel turned it into a friendly competition, too: teacher against students.

“I have never been prouder to have lost a wager!” Rachel said. “They did an incredible job taking ownership, pushing themselves beyond their comfort zone and working to make a difference in the lives of others.”

When the time came to donate blood stem cells, Rachel shared the special moment with her students through a video call. As her cells filled the bag, students asked questions about the process and even fulfilled some of the academic year’s science standards by discussing biotechnology, genetics and the treatments of diseases.

You have the power to save lives through fundraising, too. Birthdays, weddings, athletic events or from your couch—there are so many ways to do good by doing what you love.

Rachel’s connection to NMDP began in high school, when she learned a blood stem cell transplant had saved her friend Carson’s life as a child. For a school project, they hosted a registry event and a 5K fun run to raise money for NMDP. Inspired by her friend, Rachel then joined the NMDP Registry^SM in college.

Years later, Rachel received the call that she was a match for a patient. Now working one of the world’s toughest jobs—teaching middle schoolers—Rachel did what teachers do best: turn her donation into a powerful, life-saving lesson.

“I wanted to give my students as much autonomy as possible … to feel a sense of ownership,” Rachel said. “I wanted them to learn the power they had to make a difference.”

Before Rachel’s donation, they set up two fundraising pages—one for the students and the other for their teacher. Whoever raised the most money would win a prize at the end of the fundraising window. The students chose a classic reward: a field trip and pizza. If Rachel won, each student would have to practice public speaking and give a minute-long speech at lunch. As a silly incentive, she said the students could duct tape her to the wall during lunch if they raised over $1,000.

To meet their goal, the students emailed local businesses, spread the word on social media and collected money from friends, family and peers. In total, $1,500 was raised for NMDP—two-thirds of which ($1,030) came from the students.

Rachel had to travel across the country to do her blood stem cell donation, but she set up a video call so her students could share the experience. The kids were naturally curious and asked Rachel and the nurse questions throughout the process. The result? A live lesson in biotechnology, genetics and medical treatments.

“The donation process was an incredible experience,” Rachel said. “I felt pure joy knowing that I was making a difference in someone else's life.”

Rachel hopes her story will inspire her students to continue to do good in the world: “I hope that one day my students will be walking across their college campus and see a flyer for a swab event and smile. I hope they join the registry and experience the gratitude of serving others.”

Fundraising makes it easy to make a difference—starting today. Whether you raise funds from your couch or across the country, your good goes a long way in the lives of the patients we help.