Kate Ellis '25 Makes a Selfless Donation to Save a Life

In fall 2021, Kate Ellis '25 was just beginning her first year at Bucknell, getting to know campus and settling into college life. One day, she came across a group of Bucknell students tabling at the Elaine Langone Center. They were there for their annual drive in support of the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP), encouraging students to join the registry. Their pitch was simple: "Swab your cheek. You’ll probably never hear from us again, but you could save a life."

Without much thought, Ellis, a markets, innovation & design major from Pennington, N.J., swabbed her cheek, filled out a brief form and went on with her day, never expecting to hear anything further.

Two and a half years later, in May 2024, Ellis received a call that would change her life — and someone else's. A representative from the NMDP informed her that she had been flagged as a potential match for a patient in Europe battling leukemia. "I barely remembered signing up," Ellis says. "But once I understood the seriousness of the situation, there was never a question of if I would do it — it was just how I was going to get through it."

The Process Begins

After initial phone screenings and health assessments, Ellis was asked to provide a blood sample. By this time, it was the summer of 2024, and Ellis was interning in New York City. So the program sent a nurse to her apartment to draw the necessary sample.

Then, silence. Three months passed with no updates, and Ellis assumed she wasn't needed after all.

In October, everything changed: She was informed she was the perfect match. After months of uncertainty, things moved at lightning speed. She had just 16 days to prepare for the procedure. The process was disruptive to her life and academic responsibilities, but there was never a question in her mind about following through.

According to the NMDP, only about one in 430 registry members will be deemed a perfect match and go on to donate to a patient.

The procedure Ellis would undergo was called peripheral blood stem cell donation, a non-surgical method that involves boosting stem cell production and filtering them from the bloodstream. She endured a five-day regimen of injections to increase her stem cell count, and the side effects hit hard.

"The symptoms were brutal — I felt intense pressure and bone pain in my lower back, hips and even my skull," she says. "My body was working overtime to push those cells into my bloodstream."

Despite the physical toll, Ellis found strength in her support system. Her family and her Bucknell friends, roommates and professors rallied around her. "My professors were incredible," she says. "They gave me flexibility with my coursework and really supported my decision."

Donation Day

Ellis flew to Wisconsin for the donation, where she underwent a four-hour procedure. She was hooked up to a machine that cycled her blood, extracting stem cells while returning the rest to her body. "The moment the process started, I actually felt better," she says. "My body didn't need those extra cells, so the pressure I had been feeling was finally relieved."

After the procedure, a medical courier flew her donated stem cells directly to Europe. Within 24 hours, they were given to a patient fighting for their life.

A Lasting Impact

Because bone marrow donations are anonymous, Ellis doesn't know the identity of the recipient. However, in two years, she will be able to request their name, and if the recipient agrees, they can connect. It's a moment Ellis eagerly awaits.

"No matter what happens, I just hope they're okay," she says. "I hope my cells gave them a fighting chance."

Looking back, Ellis describes the experience as life-changing. "Being entrusted with something so powerful at such a young age really put things into perspective," she says. "It made me want to continue giving back in any way I can."

And if given the chance to do it all over again? Her answer comes without hesitation. "Without a doubt. In a heartbeat," she says. "It was scary, but the feeling afterward — it's unlike anything I've ever known."