The Rare Match: Miami Freshman, a UHealth Daughter, Honors Grandmother’s Legacy Through Stem Cell Donation
is just the best feeling in the world.” – Alexandra Burnham-Ugalde
Summary
After losing her grandmother to acute myeloid leukemia, University of Miami freshman Alexandra Burnham-Ugalde joined the Gift of Life registry. Just months later, she became a rare stem cell match, giving a stranger a second chance at life while inspiring others to become donors.
When UMiami freshman Alexandra Burnham-Ugalde passed a Gift of Life station on campus collecting students’ DNA samples, she couldn’t resist stopping. She was late for class that October day, but knew the opportunity to join the organization’s stem cell registry was too important to pass up.
Gift of Life collects cheek swab samples from thousands of people worldwide in hopes of finding rare stem cell transplant matches. For many people with blood cancers, like leukemia, a stem cell transplant is their only hope for survival.
Burnham-Ugalde knew all too well the repercussions of incurable blood cancer. Her grandmother, whom she affectionately called Cuqui, died of acute myeloid leukemia a few years prior. A quick cheek swab was the least she could do to honor her grandmother’s memory.
“When I saw the booth, I knew after everything my grandmother had gone through and battled that I couldn’t just walk past it,” says Burnham-Ugalde.
Finding the Perfect Stem Cell Match
In March, a representative of Gift of Life called Burnham-Ugalde to say they found a match. It was record time, according to the staff there. Most people are never matched, and those who do receive a similar call years later often don’t remember providing a cheek swab sample.
A stem cell donor needs to be a near-perfect match of specialized immune-system markers called HLAs, which is why donor registries are critical. Even siblings only have about a 25% chance of being a good match.
Burnham-Ugalde is one of the rare people who have ever had a chance to donate stem cells. Millions of people register, but only a fraction are ever matched.
When a volunteer asked whether she wanted to move forward with the donation process, she responded with an emphatic yes. “I was really happy. I knew this was meant for me to do,” she says.
Burnham-Ugalde’s mother, Rosemarie Ugalde, who is associate vice president, executive medicine & development, Desai Sethi Urology Institute, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, couldn’t be prouder. “She was very determined. I don’t think she ever even hesitated from the minute they told her they had a match, which was extraordinarily impressive. She’s only 19,” she says.
The Easy Process to Donate Stem Cells
Burnham-Ugalde says she wasn’t nervous about proceeding and found donating her stem cells even easier than she expected. After learning she was a match, there were three next steps:
- Confirmation: She took a few more blood tests to confirm she was a good match.
- Preparation: A few days before donating, a home health nurse administered a medication through injection to stimulate Burnham-Ugalde’s body to produce more stem cells and release them into her bloodstream.
- Donation: Burnham-Ugalde spent 5.5 hours at a Gift of Life location in Boca Raton donating stem cells through a process she says was so easy and surprisingly fun.
Burnham-Ugalde enjoyed a breakfast spread, a cozy cubicle with a large television and Nintendo Switch, loads of swag and a Cheesecake Factory lunch. “They took great care of me and treated me like a queen,” she says.
Turning a Personal Journey into Advocacy
The next day, Burnham-Ugalde felt physically fine and was still euphoric. “Quite literally giving somebody a second chance at life made me feel like a superhero. If my abuela were still here, I would want someone to donate for her,” she says.
Today, Burnham-Ugalde and her mom are sharing the story with anyone who will listen, in hopes it inspires others to become registered stem cell donors. Burnham-Ugalde plans to become a Gift of Life ambassador on campus next fall, encouraging her fellow Canes to do a quick cheek swab. “I don’t think people realize how easy it is, and there’s a stigma when it comes to donating blood, plasma or stem cells. They might think the donor comes out the other side affected, or that maybe it takes too much time, which couldn’t be further from the truth,” she says.
Burnham-Ugalde doesn’t know much about the recipient of her stem cells, other than that it’s a 58-year-old female. A courier was on site at Gift of Life waiting to deliver the container of stem cells to a recipient in one of the 80 countries where they operate. One day, if both parties agree, Burnham-Ugalde may learn more about the recipient.
For now, though, both Burnham-Ugalde and Ugalde are grateful for the opportunity to be a part of the Gift of Life experience. “The ability to offer someone hope when they have none is very powerful. If any of us can do it, we shouldn’t hesitate,” says Ugalde.
Tags: Desai Sethi Urology Institute, Gift of Life, Miller Schcool of Medicine, stem cell donation