{"id":69125,"date":"2026-03-24T08:24:01","date_gmt":"2026-03-24T12:24:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/?p=69125"},"modified":"2026-03-24T08:28:35","modified_gmt":"2026-03-24T12:28:35","slug":"uribe-stem-cell-drive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/uribe-stem-cell-drive\/","title":{"rendered":"Alum\u2019s Search for a Stem Cell Donor for His Son Inspires Campus Drive"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size\">After Juan Uribe \u201996 went viral with his social media campaign, a University effort added 1,350 people to the registry<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-cornell-red-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-b20c122c1bf28acfc89276ef15bf6607\">\u201c<em>Bear Hugs\u201d celebrates heartwarming stories of Cornellians on the Hill and around the world. Have an idea? Email us at <a href=\"&#109;&#x61;&#105;l&#116;&#111;:&#99;or&#x6e;&#x65;ll&#x69;&#97;&#x6e;s&#64;&#x63;o&#x72;&#x6e;ell&#x2e;e&#x64;&#117;\"><strong>c&#x6f;&#114;ne&#x6c;&#x6c;&#105;&#x61;&#110;&#x73;&#64;&#x63;&#x6f;r&#110;&#x65;&#108;&#x6c;&#46;&#101;&#x64;&#117;<\/strong><\/a>!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>By <strong>Joe Wilensky<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-drop-cap\">In a video uploaded to TikTok in mid-February 2026, Juan Uribe \u201996 looks into the camera and says: \u201cI\u2019m posting this because I need your help to save my son.\u201d He was urgently seeking a stem-cell donor for his 15-year-old son, Max, who faces bone marrow failure and a high risk of blood cancer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The video\u2014Uribe\u2019s first\u2014went viral. It was soon viewed by 26 million people, nearly 40,000 of whom requested at-home kits to donate. And his story made nationwide headlines, from CNN and CBS to <em>People<\/em> and <em>USA Today<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Arts &amp; Sciences alum also reached out to his alma mater\u2014which answered the call with a major campuswide event in mid-March.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Uribe-family-by-carousel-A-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"Juan Uribe \u201996 and his family; Max is second from right\" class=\"wp-image-69136\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Uribe-family-by-carousel-A-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Uribe-family-by-carousel-A-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Uribe-family-by-carousel-A-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Uribe-family-by-carousel-A-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Uribe-family-by-carousel-A-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Uribe-family-by-carousel-A-608x342.jpg 608w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Uribe-family-by-carousel-A-304x171.jpg 304w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Uribe-family-by-carousel-A-152x85.jpg 152w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Uribe-family-by-carousel-A-1184x666.jpg 1184w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Uribe-family-by-carousel-A-592x333.jpg 592w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Uribe-family-by-carousel-A-296x166.jpg 296w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Uribe-family-by-carousel-A-1264x711.jpg 1264w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Uribe-family-by-carousel-A-632x356.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Uribe-family-by-carousel-A-316x178.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Uribe-family-by-carousel-A-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Uribe-family-by-carousel-A-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Uribe-family-by-carousel-A-100x56.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Uribe-family-by-carousel-A.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"rkv-image-credit\">Provided<\/figcaption><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Uribe family (from left): Lucia, Sophie, Max, and Juan.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>To help Max and thousands of other people in need of life-saving intervention, Cornell hosted \u201cBig Red, Big Impact\u201d\u2014a weeklong campaign in which students, faculty, and staff ages 18\u201335 were asked to join the national stem cell registry by doing a 30-second cheek swab.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The event was run in partnership with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nmdp.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">National Marrow Donor Program<\/a> (NMDP), a nonprofit that facilitates transplants.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>With nine swabbing stations across campus, it was the largest such event NMDP has ever hosted\u2014drawing 1,350 potential donors of stem cells or blood marrow, whose samples will be added to the database.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/2026_1084_RY_1529-A-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"students swab their cheeks in Willard Straight Hall as part of the stem-cell donor registration campaign\" class=\"wp-image-69129\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/2026_1084_RY_1529-A-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/2026_1084_RY_1529-A-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/2026_1084_RY_1529-A-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/2026_1084_RY_1529-A-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/2026_1084_RY_1529-A-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/2026_1084_RY_1529-A-608x342.jpg 608w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/2026_1084_RY_1529-A-304x171.jpg 304w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/2026_1084_RY_1529-A-152x85.jpg 152w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/2026_1084_RY_1529-A-1184x666.jpg 1184w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/2026_1084_RY_1529-A-592x333.jpg 592w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/2026_1084_RY_1529-A-296x166.jpg 296w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/2026_1084_RY_1529-A-1264x711.jpg 1264w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/2026_1084_RY_1529-A-632x356.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/2026_1084_RY_1529-A-316x178.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/2026_1084_RY_1529-A-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/2026_1084_RY_1529-A-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/2026_1084_RY_1529-A-100x56.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/2026_1084_RY_1529-A.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"rkv-image-credit\">Ryan Young \/ Cornell University<\/figcaption><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Students swab their cheeks in Willard Straight Hall.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>A follow-up event, run by students and sponsored by NMDP, is scheduled for late April; those not in the Ithaca area can also join the registry by requesting a swabbing kit online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As the March event\u2019s organizers explain, universities are ideal locations to test for would-be matches because of their demographics\u2014cells from younger donors lead to significantly better long-term outcomes\u2014and their diversity, as there is a critical shortage of Black and Latino donors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote alignwide is-style-solid-color\"><blockquote><p>Universities are ideal locations to test for would-be matches because of their demographics\u2014cells from younger donors lead to significantly better long-term outcomes\u2014and their diversity, as there is a critical shortage of Black and Latino donors.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Max\u2019s Colombian heritage makes finding an ideal match particularly challenging. Across the NMDP and other global donor registries, white patients have an 80% chance of a perfect match; for Latino and Hispanic patients, it\u2019s 50%, and for Black patients, 30%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Uribes learned 10 years ago that Max had low levels of white blood cells and platelets, among other markers, putting him at high risk for developing myelodysplastic syndrome or acute myeloid leukemia; they have been carefully monitoring him ever since.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"901\" height=\"468\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Uribe-CNN-screenshot-A.jpg\" alt=\"screenshot of Juan Uribe appearing on CNN\" class=\"wp-image-69135\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Uribe-CNN-screenshot-A.jpg 901w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Uribe-CNN-screenshot-A-300x156.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Uribe-CNN-screenshot-A-768x399.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Uribe-CNN-screenshot-A-632x328.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Uribe-CNN-screenshot-A-316x164.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Uribe-CNN-screenshot-A-400x208.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Uribe-CNN-screenshot-A-200x104.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Uribe-CNN-screenshot-A-100x52.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 901px) 100vw, 901px\" \/><figcaption class=\"rkv-image-credit\">Provided<\/figcaption><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Uribe has appeared in numerous national media outlets.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe crazy thing about it is that his day to day is fine,\u201d says Uribe, who has also been getting the word out through the Class of 1996 Council, the national office of his fraternity (Sigma Alpha Epsilon), and a dedicated website, <a href=\"http:\/\/swabformax.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">swabformax.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHe\u2019s active with school, active with sports, active socially with friends. You\u2019d never know that anything was wrong. But that\u2019s what\u2019s so dangerous about these blood diseases\u2014they can be there and you don\u2019t realize anything\u2019s wrong until it\u2019s too late. The silver lining for us, or the blessing in disguise, was that we happened to stumble upon it early.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While Max still feels healthy, tests in 2025 showed an alarming change in his blood and bone-marrow markers that put a ticking clock on his health. Doctors recommended a stem-cell transplant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignwide size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/2026_1084_RY_1667-A-1024x576.jpg\" alt=\"President Mike Kotlikoff shares a QR code about the stem-cell cheek-swabbing campaign with a student on Ho Plaza\" class=\"wp-image-69131\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/2026_1084_RY_1667-A-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/2026_1084_RY_1667-A-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/2026_1084_RY_1667-A-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/2026_1084_RY_1667-A-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/2026_1084_RY_1667-A-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/2026_1084_RY_1667-A-608x342.jpg 608w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/2026_1084_RY_1667-A-304x171.jpg 304w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/2026_1084_RY_1667-A-152x85.jpg 152w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/2026_1084_RY_1667-A-1184x666.jpg 1184w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/2026_1084_RY_1667-A-592x333.jpg 592w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/2026_1084_RY_1667-A-296x166.jpg 296w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/2026_1084_RY_1667-A-1264x711.jpg 1264w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/2026_1084_RY_1667-A-632x356.jpg 632w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/2026_1084_RY_1667-A-316x178.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/2026_1084_RY_1667-A-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/2026_1084_RY_1667-A-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/2026_1084_RY_1667-A-100x56.jpg 100w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/2026_1084_RY_1667-A.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"rkv-image-credit\">Ryan Young \/ Cornell University<\/figcaption><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">President Mike Kotlikoff helps get students registered for the drive on Ho Plaza.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>If a perfect donor is found, Uribe says, his son\u2019s five-year survival rate could be 95%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis started off as a personal search to help my son find a perfect-match donor,\u201d Uribe said on TikTok, \u201cbut I realize this is a need that many other families have\u2014and that could help save thousands of lives.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His mission is ambitious: he hopes to add 1 million new potential donors to the 43 million people in the worldwide database by April, while also significantly diversifying that donor pool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Uribe\u2019s message has been heard: Of the thousands of at-home kits sent out since Uribe\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@jpu307?lang=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">online postings<\/a>, 57% were requested by people of Hispanic or Latino heritage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>This started off as a personal search to help my son find a perfect-match donor, but I realize this is a need that many other families have\u2014and that could help save thousands of lives.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>But because only about half of at-home testing kits typically get returned, in-person events\u2014where people submit cheek swabs then and there\u2014are key to boosting registration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe constantly have people aging off the registry, and so we have to keep adding new, young, diverse registry members and potential donors,\u201d says NMDP spokesperson Erica Sevilla. \u201cIt\u2019s a very selfless act to donate, and it\u2019s a living donation: we regenerate our blood stem cells, we make millions every single day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>About 18,500 patients are diagnosed with blood cancers in the U.S. each year, Sevilla says, and most will need unrelated donors for stem cells or blood marrow. Only 25% of patients find a match within their families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"480\" height=\"270\" src=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Uribe-with-kids-on-Campus-2016-A.jpg\" alt=\"Juan Uribe \u201996 with his two children on campus in 1996\" class=\"wp-image-69137\" srcset=\"https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Uribe-with-kids-on-Campus-2016-A.jpg 480w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Uribe-with-kids-on-Campus-2016-A-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Uribe-with-kids-on-Campus-2016-A-304x171.jpg 304w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Uribe-with-kids-on-Campus-2016-A-152x85.jpg 152w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Uribe-with-kids-on-Campus-2016-A-296x166.jpg 296w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Uribe-with-kids-on-Campus-2016-A-316x178.jpg 316w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Uribe-with-kids-on-Campus-2016-A-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Uribe-with-kids-on-Campus-2016-A-200x113.jpg 200w, https:\/\/alumni.cornell.edu\/cornellians\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2026\/03\/Uribe-with-kids-on-Campus-2016-A-100x56.jpg 100w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 100vw, 480px\" \/><figcaption class=\"rkv-image-credit\">Provided<\/figcaption><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Uribe with his children during a campus visit in 2016.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>While the word \u201ctransplant\u201d is used in conjunction with bone marrow and stem-cell therapies, the word may be off-putting or scary for potential donors, says <a href=\"https:\/\/weillcornell.org\/cemcguinn\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dr. Catherine McGuinn<\/a>, a pediatric hematologist and oncologist at Weill Cornell Medicine who has treated Max since he was six.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>About 90% of the time, blood stem cells are collected through a simple nonsurgical outpatient procedure that is very similar to donating platelets or plasma. In about 10% of cases, patients require donations of bone marrow, which is a same-day procedure performed under anesthesia, where liquid marrow is drawn from the pelvic bone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unlike being a living kidney donor (or donating organs after death), \u201cthis is a resource that you\u2019re able to give that is renewable,\u201d McGuinn says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis is really low risk, high reward\u2014it\u2019s a couple of cheek swabs that give you the opportunity to match with someone. There has been so much research, advancements, and improving outcomes for patients, that it\u2019s truly a second chance at life for people.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Top: Juan Uribe \u201996 chats with students in Willard Straight Hall during the stem-cell donor drive. (Ryan Young \/ Cornell University)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\">Published March 24, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator aligncenter has-alpha-channel-opacity\" \/>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After Juan Uribe \u201996 went viral with his social media campaign, a University effort added 1,350 people to the registry<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":67,"featured_media":69132,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"alumni_hub_syml_posts":[65772,68898,52453],"footnotes":""},"categories":[652],"tags":[],"cornell_year_post":[509],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-69125","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bear-hugs","cornell_year_post-509"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Alum\u2019s Search for a Stem Cell Donor for His Son Inspires Campus Drive - 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