Kevin Feinberg had his cheek swabbed during his freshman year, and by his sophomore year, he had saved a life.
Feinberg, a sophomore studying accounting, is one of the 30 donors that has come from one of Ohio University’s Hillel “Got Swabbed?” drives. Hillel will hold another drive Monday.
Feinberg flew to Washington, D.C., on Feb. 7, and Feb. 10, he donated bone marrow via plasma donation to a 30-year-old female with acute myeloid leukemia. He is one of nearly 6,000 people who become donors because of The National Marrow Donor Program, according to its website.
“They took the cells they needed out of my blood and then pumped the blood back into me,” he said. “I was in a little discomfort the day of, but no pain the day after.”
Up until this point, Hillel hadn’t been able to go through the entire swabbing-to-donation process with a student because most donors have graduated or do not have a personal relationship with Hillel, said Rabbi Danielle Leshaw,
executive director of Hillel at OU.
Leshaw flew to Washington, D.C., to support Feinberg, a member of Hillel, and watch the donation firsthand.
“It was a unique opportunity for me to go as a representative of the organization to better understand the actual experience of donating,” she said. “It was informational, educational and of course, it was to be in a supportive role for Kevin.”
There will be a booth during Monday’s “Got Swabbed?” drive where Feinberg will answer some questions about what it’s like to donate, which isn’t as bad as people think, he said.
“I hate needles, and I hate flying, and they paid for me to fly to go donate with needles,” he said. “It’s more of a head game because you don’t know what it’s like; it was a blood donation. Gift of Life makes it really easy on the donor so that it’s easier for us to donate.”
Monday’s drive is the first big drive of the year, though Hillel has been holding smaller ones around campus and at a variety of events, Leshaw said.
Spreading the word about the cause plays an important role in what “Got Swabbed?” is about, said Mariah Schweiger, an intern at Hillel for “Got Swabbed?” and a sophomore studying pre-social work.
“We really hope that this cause can be spread further and further and that a lot of people on campus will know what it is,” she said. “Whether they are helping or getting swabbed, we just want people to know.”
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If You Go
What: Got Swabbed? Bone Marrow Drive
When: 10 a.m., Monday
Where: Baker University Center’s third floor atrium
Admission: Free
