Going the distance to help others

Woodmere resident Nicole Goldstein was first introduced to Gift of Life, while in Israel and she decided to undergo a swab test, in which the inside of her mouth was swabbed with a cotton swab and then sent to a laboratory, to determine if she was a match for those who are awaiting donors.

Gift of life is an organization that helps find matching donors for blood and marrow transplants for children and adults suffering from leukemia, lymphoma as well as other cancers and genetic disorders,

A few months later, Goldstein learned she was a match for a 62-year-old man. On April 11, 2011, she donated bone marrow to a man she has never met. “We were in touch at the hospital and I wrote him a letter about what was going through my mind and wishing him well,” she said. “I got a response letter from him this year and I even sent him a one-year transplant gift. He told me he celebrates two birthdays; his actual birthday and the date of the transplant, April 11.”

Since Goldstein’s donation, she has worked tirelessly to conduct swab tests on others in hopes of finding more matches. “Last summer I decided to get the word out about Gift of Life and held drives to swab as many people as I could,” she said.

She has also gotten many of her friends involved, including Cedarhurst resident Yehuda Wolfset. He joined Gift of Life six years ago and helps fundraise as well as host swab drives. “I got involved when my father donated stem cells in 2006,” he said. “It’s a great, important organization. You get the opportunity to be part of the process to find matches and help save other people’s lives.”

According to Goldstein, it’s not only about swabbing people in hopes of finding matches but also raising funds to process the swab kits, which cost $54 per kit. “It’s expensive for the kits to be processed,” she said.

On Aug. 5 at Hewlett High School, Goldstein and Wolfset, along with other Gift of Life volunteers, will host the inaugural First Down 4 Donors football tournament fundraiser to raise necessary funds to process swab kits. Goldstein said there is a $600 donation for each team to participate and there is a minimum of six people and maximum of 12 people per team.

Wolfset hopes the football fundraiser allows for more swab kits to be processed. “I hope we raise as much money as possible,” he said.

Goldstein, she wants to educate others about the bone marrow donation process. “Many people hear ‘bone marrow’ and run the other way but with the advancements in medicine people can donate stem cells which is a similar process of giving blood,” she said. “There is no recovery process and everything is confidential.”

Marti Freund, senior development associate for the Gift of Life, said Goldstein saw the important work of the organization firsthand after her bone marrow donation. “She has made a tremendous impact by recruiting many new donors and raising funds,” Freund said. “She is selfless and a caring leader who has helped save lives.”

In tribute to her bone marrow recipient, who she hopes to meet in the near future, Goldstein said she would remain active in the Gift of Life organization. “I can’t say it wasn’t painful but the pain was definitely worth it,” she said, about the bone marrow operation. “I was back to my daily routine in about a week and I wouldn’t take any of it back.”

The First Down 4 Donors football tournament is from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The high school is located at 60 Everit Ave. Hewlett. For information about registering a team, visit tinyurl.com/golfootball.