As an undergraduate student, Ella Sics, Bachelor of Science in Nursing student from Lenexa, Kansas, initially joined the National Marrow Donation Program registry for extra credit as a college freshman. The extra credit helped, but she never expected the profound impact it would have on her life as a nursing student.

 "When I received the call that I was a match for a child with aplastic anemia, I was informed the surgical route was my recipient’s best option," said Sics. "I knew that donating my bone marrow was something I wanted to do for that family, even though I was anxious about the procedure and recovery."

In order to donate her bone marrow, Sics had to travel over 1,000 miles to a specialized hospital in Georgetown, Washington D.C., for the surgery.

"Traveling that distance was daunting," said Sics. "But now I can confidently say that donating my bone marrow is the most fulfilling thing I’ve ever done."

So fulfilling that it may have shaped Sics' future nursing career.

"This experience deepened my empathy and understanding of what patients go through, especially during anxiety-inducing procedures. It has possibly also sparked a personal interest in transplant and oncology nursing. Overall, it has made me a more compassionate and insightful nursing student," she said.

"I encourage everyone to look into the [bone marrow donation] program to see if joining the registry is something you may want to do!"