In Her Own Words: Yuliya Kizelbasheva's Journey to Giving the Gift of Life

DePaul women's tennis graduate student Yuliya Kizelbasheva gave the gift of life in May of 2022, undergoing a stem cell transplant as a perfect match for a patient with a terminal illness. What started as a casual swab with Be The Match at a DePaul volleyball match, turned into the ultimate opportunity to help someone in need. Hear Yuliya's story in her own words.

In November of 2021, Be The Match came to DePaul Athletics and everyone who wanted could do a swab to be part of their registry. It was organized right before a volleyball match so there were a lot of people who were down to do a swab.

After I took the swab, the Be The Match representatives told us that if we wanted to complete the registration process, we could verify the email and complete the missing info online which I did.

I could not fully understand the level of seriousness and why exactly we have to be part of the registry. It was when I came home and translated what bone marrow means in Russian, I got an understanding why Be The Match is trying to find people to be a part of their registry. Be The Match is an organization operated by the National Bone Marrow Donor Program that helps the patients that have some sorts of blood cancer find a life-saving marrow or stem cell donor.

A few months after everyone did a swab in the foyer of DePaul Athletics center, it was a big surprise to hear that Luuk Wassenaar from the men's tennis team became a match for a patient through the Be The Match. I would see him leaving the practices to do the blood tests and it was just something extraordinary, something that not everyone is blessed to do. We were all so inspired by him and happy that he saved someone's life.

Fast forward to May of 2022, I was sitting in Athletic Academic Advising (AAA) and got an email that my summer internship was canceled. I was so frustrated and upset, But then, 20 minutes later, I got one more email and it was from Be The Match, where I read that I am a potential match for someone. I just could not believe in this coincidence. Such moments helped me realize that some things are so unimportant, and I should be so grateful for everything I have and can do.

Later I had a call with a Be The Match coordinator. They told me that I am a potential match for a young boy from another country who has some sort of blood cancer. If I wanted, I could do additional testing to see if I am a 100% match for that patient. I talked to my family and friends, and everyone was happy to hear such good news and fully supported me.

I did an additional blood test at the end of June and they told me to wait up to 10 weeks for the results.

I was worried that I wouldn't hear anything back from them, but literally on week 10 I got a call back saying that I am a 100% match.

Right after I told my coach Marisa and trainer Eileen that I wanted to go through with the donation, and they were there for me the whole process, same as my family and friends. We started a preparation process.

I then did a physical exam and gave lots of blood samples. Be The Match wanted to make sure that the donation was safe for both me and the patient. The Be The Match coordinator would schedule all of the appointments for me. Through each step in the process, the staff reassured me that I could opt out at any time if I didn't feel comfortable proceeding with the donation.

A doctor determined that the patient needs peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) donation, which is a non surgical procedure. For five days leading up to the PBSC donation, I was given injections of a drug called filgrastim to increase the number of blood-forming cells (also called blood stem cells) in my bloodstream.

In December of 2022, I arrived at a blood donation center on the scheduled day. I received the last injection of the filgrastim and was ready to start. The nurse that was looking after me could not have been nicer and more supportive. For 6 hours my blood was being removed through a needle in one arm and passed through a machine that would collect only the stem cells. The remaining blood was being returned to me through a needle in the other arm. It looked like a miracle. The time flew by so fast and I had my boyfriend sitting next to me the whole time supporting me. Also, I updated my family and friends via text message the whole time. Right after I was done with the donation, the nurse told me that the courier would come in 15 min and pick up a bag with stem cells and head straight to the airport and the next day the patient received my stem cells. I still get goosebumps thinking about it

At first, it sounded to me like an extremely difficult and unimaginable thing to do. It does sound scary, but it is worth doing when someone needs you. There is only a 30% chance that there will be a match in the family for a person having blood cancer and I was lucky that I knew Luuk who I could call and ask for advice to prepare for my donation, it helped me a lot.

I wish that more people knew about such an amazing organization as Be The Match. The coordinators were accessible 24/7 with me via call and text. This organization takes all resources and expenses on them and the only thing they need you to do is to be willing to help to save a life.

My grandmother lost a battle against breast cancer and there were no donations that could save her life. I do not know who I helped because when you do such serious donations, the patient and the donor remain anonymous for a certain period of time. However, I feel blessed that I was able to do something that could help that person to overcome such a terrible disease.

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