Robin Roberts' nephew helps save a life as a stem cell donor
Jeremiah Craft learned in January that he was someone's match.
When Jeremiah Craft was growing up, he watched his aunt, "Good Morning America" co-anchor Robin Roberts, undergo a lifesaving bone marrow transplant.
The stem cells used in the 2012 transplant to save Roberts' life were donated by Craft's mom, Sally-Ann Roberts, who was a perfect match for her younger sister.
The journey of the Roberts sisters was a unique one, as 70% of patients in need of a bone marrow transplant do not have a fully-matched donor in their family, according to NMDP, a non-profit organization that manages a global marrow registry.
In the majority of cases, patients must rely on donations from strangers on the NMDP registry.
With those statistics in mind, Sally-Ann Roberts convinced Craft, at the time a teenager, to sign up for the NMDP registry, which involves sending in a simple swab of your inner cheek that can help match you to current or future patients.
"Basically, my mom 'voluntold' me to sign up, kind of like a mandatory suggestion," Craft, now 29, recalled to "GMA."
Several years later, to his surprise, Craft said he got a call that he was a match for a stranger.
Take the first step to sign up to become a bone marrow donor today. Visit my.nmdp.org/gma or text GMA to 61474 to request a swab kit.
At the time, Craft declined to participate in the transplant. According to NMDP, less than half of potential donors agree to donate when they are found to be a match, for a variety of reasons.
"Unfortunately, at the time, I just was thinking about me," Craft said of his decision. "It was acting selfishly, and I didn't heed the call."
Craft said he quickly regretted his decision, saying, "Up until this point, I was very, very sure that that was going to be the biggest mistake of my life."
In January, Craft unexpectedly got a second chance. He received a call from NMDP notifying him that he was once again a match.
"Because I've been thinking about that person every day since then, it was just impossible for me to not say yes," Craft said of his decision to become a donor.
Added his mom, Sally-Ann Roberts, "He did not hesitate. He was ready."
Once he decided to move forward, Craft underwent five days of injections to help stimulate his blood stem cells to prepare for donation day.
Craft then traveled from New York City to Houston in March to complete his donation. As is standard protocol, Craft's travel expenses were covered by NMDP.
The organization pays travel expenses and non-medical costs for all donors, as well as any medical expenses not covered by insurance, according to its website.
Robin Roberts spoke to Craft ahead of his donation day, calling him a "superhero."
"I'm proud of you," she said to her nephew.
Craft said he was "grateful to God" to have a second change at saving a life.
"I’m a regular guy trying to do the right thing for the second time," he said. "I'm just grateful to God that I can go from pretending to be a hero to growing older, learning what is important and actually saving a life."
Craft donated through peripheral blood stem cells, or PBSC, donation, a non-surgical procedure in which blood is drawn from one arm, passed through a machine that separates the blood-forming cells and then the remaining blood is returned to the other arm, according to NMDP.
For Craft, the donation took a total of five hours, but donation times can vary.
The other method for donation is bone marrow, which takes place in a hospital and is typically a one-day procedure in which needles are used to withdraw liquid marrow from the back of the pelvic bone. The donor is typically in the hospital from early morning to late afternoon and most donors feel completely recovered within weeks, according to NMDP.
Take the first step to sign up to become a bone marrow donor today. Visit my.nmdp.org/gma or text GMA to 61474 to request a swab kit.