Jefferson Donated His Bone Marrow 10 years Ago

Jefferson Araujo donated his bone marrow 10 years ago.  He joined the registry through an Icla da Silva bone marrow drive in Boston, and after he donated, he met his recipient at the Icla da Silva Hope Gala in NYC.

He still supports the foundation by showing up at our  events and sharing his story.

Jeffersen gave someone’s life back. He insists “you can’t explain it…it’s a marvelous feeling.” He says he would do it again, 10,000 times. We are grateful he did it once.  Thank you Jeffersen, you are truly appreciated.

Rachell Souza was born with severe aplastic anemia. Her only chance to survive was a bone marrow transplant. Her family looked for a compatible donor for five years. Their search finished when Jefferson joined the Be The Match registry in Boston, at one of the Icla da Silva Foundation marrow drives.

Since both Jefferson and Rachell have Brazilian ancestry, Jeffersen was a match for Rachell.

Rachel and Jefferson met in NYC for the first time during our Hope Gala event in 2009.  She is now 18, they still keep in touch.

You can make a difference in someone’s life.  You could be someones match.

Please join the registry.

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