CHARLOTTE — Every 27 seconds, someone in the world is diagnosed with blood cancer, but one nonprofit is working to find a cure with help from donors, like Cameron Ganous.
As a firefighter, Ganous responds to many types of emergencies, but at the end of last year, he received a unique call for help from DKMS.
The nonprofit notified Ganous that he was a potential match for someone in need.
He told Channel 9’s Erika Jackson he almost forgot he had registered to become a stem cell donor more than a decade prior.
“At the end of the day, you’re helping somebody and giving them more time with their family, possibly, and that’s all anybody ever wants is more time with their family,” Ganous said.
He said he knows what it’s like to yearn for one more day. Ganous’ mom, Cindy, died in 2017 just months after being diagnosed with a rare, aggressive form of lymphoma. He believes his mom was behind the call for help.
“My donation ended up not only being the same hospital that my mother was in during her time, but it was the same wing, same floor,” he said. “I was steps away from her room while I was giving my donation.”
Ganous underwent the donation process at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist. He says he had to get shots for five days in January to raise his white blood cell count. This caused flu-like symptoms, but he said the actual donation was quick and relatively painless.
“They set the hospitals up, they pay for my hotel room before and after the procedure,” he said. “It’s the easiest thing you can do to help save someone.”
Ganous is back at work without scars, but his good deed will still have a lifelong impact.
“It was half a day, that’s half a day to possibly give someone more days,” he said. “That to me was a no-brainer.”
DKMS says patients have to remain anonymous for at least a year. Cameron Ganous hopes to meet the recipient sometime in 2027.
Visit the DKMS website here to learn more and register to help.