BALTIMORE — Saving a life is special, and for Laurel Burns, it means even more to help someone beat a rare form of blood cancer.
Burns volunteered her blood cells, giving a stranger a second chance at life.
"I'm extremely grateful that I was able to give someone more time with their friends and family," says Burns.
Back in 2019, as a high school senior, Burns learned about DKMS, a German-based non-profit dedicated to the fight against blood cancer and other blood disorders.
At 18 years old, she committed to DKMS, feeling called to give back.
She says the process was easy and painless. All it took was a mouth swab, and she was entered into the database.
Years after she signed up, Burns learned she and her twin sister were a match.
"My identical twin also registered in high school, and she matched before me. We matched with the same patient, actually, we found out. I was very shocked to hear because not only are identical twins rare, but matching with someone is extremely rare," says Burns.
"On average, it's about a less than a 1% chance of actually matching with a patient in need. That's why it is so important for as many people as possible to get registered because," says Maya Ward, DKMS public relations manager.
According to DKMS, 11.5 million people are registered donors. Only 105,000 end up being successful matches.
Burns donated to her anonymous recipient in late January, who had a rare form of leukemia.
Her cost to save a life was simply a few hours out of her day sitting on a bed donating blood.
"The only commitment is just time. I think putting in your time is such an easy process. DKMS pretty much does everything for you, so I think that alone should encourage people to get on the list," says Burns.
If she had the opportunity to speak to her recipient, she would.
"I would tell them that they are incredibly strong and that I am praying and hoping they will get better and I am thinking of them," says Burns.
Most importantly, she says she welcomes the opportunity to do it again.
If you are interested in signing up to be a donor or would like to learn more about DKMS, visit their website here.