Offering Hope: Nursing Student and USD HOSA President Donates Stem Cells
Miedema is in her third year of the University of South Dakota’s nursing program and understands the profound impact of providing a second chance at life for someone in need.
“I will always be on the donor registry, at least until I reach the age that I wouldn’t be a suitable donor anymore,” Miedema said. “If I was asked to donate again, whether it is to the same recipient or not, I absolutely would. No question.”
It was her experience with HOSA – Future Health Professionals that introduced Miedema to stem cell donation.
As a high school student at Mitchell High School, Miedema was involved in HOSA throughout all four years. As a first-year student at USD, Miedema got involved with USD’s then-brand-new HOSA chapter in 2022. She’s now the president of the USD HOSA group and has witnessed it grow from just five members to around 20.
“I love that HOSA facilitates interactions between disciplines,” she said. “Health care is a team sport, and this club works together.”
In June 2022, Miedema attended the HOSA national conference in Nashville, Tennessee. At the conference’s opening program, the high school attendees witnessed a stem cell donor and recipient meet – for the first time – on stage.
The emotional meeting prompted Miedema to visit a donor information booth later that day, and she signed up on the spot to be added to the stem cell donor registry.
It was a very simple process, Miedema said. “They swabbed my cheek, asked some health questions and that was it.”
Miedema registered with the National Marrow Donor Program® (NMDP), formerly known as Be The Match®. The organization’s mission is simple: to save lives through cell therapy. Established in 1987 and based in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the NMDP has impacted more than 130,000 lives through cell therapy. In 2023 alone, 7,435 lives were impacted – the most in any one year in the program’s history.
Since donors ages 18-35 are the most sought after, NMDP educates young individuals on college campuses and events like the HOSA conference about the potential to become a lifesaver by joining the NMDP Registry.
“Many people do not know there is a national registry of blood stem cell donors, so we’re constantly working to raise awareness of our mission,” explained Erica Sevilla, a representative from NMDP. “Another challenge we face is fear or misconceptions about the donation process. Many people have perceived blood stem cell donations, also referred to as bone marrow donations, as painful procedures, when the reality is much different than the dramatic depictions seen in movies or on television. About 90% of the time, donations are completed through a nonsurgical procedure that resembles plasma or platelet donation, and most of these donors are back to normal activities within a few days.”
In February 2024 – two years after she registered with NMDP – Miedema was notified that she was a match as a backup donor for a particular patient. A month later, she received notice that she had become the primary match and that she should get to the donation center quickly. Miedema made plans to fly to Texas to make the donation for an adult male – her recipient.
In the week leading up to her donation travel day, Miedema injected herself each day with Filgrastim, a medication that helps bone marrow make new white blood cells. “NMDP shipped the refrigerated doses to me and called every day to make sure I took it,” she explained. “It’s a high-stakes situation.”
The only side effect she experienced was minor bone pain. Miedema described it as an achy feeling on her right side that only needed ibuprofen to quell. “It was very mild, and a little achiness means it’s working; the dosage is good,” she explained.
“It’s always surprising how humble our donors are. Donors see themselves as just doing the right thing,” said Sevilla. “Yet despite not acknowledging the magnitude of the gift they’re giving to an anonymous patient, this selfless act also has a profound effect on the donor.”
As for Miedema’s stem cell recipient, she can only speculate what he’s up to, but she does know he is in full remission.
“We have exchanged a couple of letters, and it sounds like he’s doing well,” she said. “He has expressed gratitude and tells me about his family and how grateful he is to get more time with them. We have discussed meeting in person, and I hope we get to meet one day.”
“We have heard from many donors that they felt a greater sense of purpose in life after donating,” Sevilla said. “Others become very emotionally invested in the outcome for the patient, and others are so inspired by the work we do that they volunteer to recruit more registry members.”
Miedema is one of the donors who has a strong desire to share her message and build awareness of donor registration.
She will present a breakout session at the April South Dakota state HOSA conference to share her experience with other young HOSA members – a message that has potential to impact many teens.
The future critical care nurse said she plans to convey that stem cell donation is a great way to help people and save a life.
“I was fortunate enough to be a healthy individual. Why wouldn’t I help another human out?” Miedema said. “I will tell them it’s a super easy process and an excellent way to give back.”
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