Even with the post-9/11 security measures, emotional reunions are commonplace at airports across the country as friends and family members welcome their loved ones. In July, a unique “reunion” occurred at the Minot International Airport in North Dakota when Turlock resident Doug Jantz met for the first time the blood stem cell donor who saved his life.

Little did Brian Hendrickson know that 10 years after he registered as a blood stem cell donor he would be saving the life of man he didn’t know four states away.

In 2013, Hendrickson registered as a donor with DKMS, a nonprofit blood stem cell donor center, after hearing about a local high school student who needed a stem cell transplant.

“He was fighting leukemia, and my wife works at the high school and she encouraged me to go register to try to help this young man,” said Hendrickson, who lives in North Dakota.

When he wasn’t a match for the high school student, Hendrickson said he kind of forgot about the whole thing. Then, almost a decade later in December 2022, he was contacted by DKMS about being a match for an adult male who lives in the United States.

Jantz was diagnosed with acute myeloblastic leukemia in September 2022.

“After I met my oncologist and I went through three weeks of chemo, they shared with me that they're gonna try to find me a donor,” said Jantz.

Hendrickson did some preliminary blood work in January in his hometown. A few weeks later, DKMS flew him to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area to undergo a physical and give some more blood. Then, in March, he and his wife were flown back to Minneapolis-St. Paul for a two-day stay.

“They flew me in on a Tuesday afternoon and I did my donation on Wednesday and came home on Thursday,” said Hendrickson.

In March 2023, Jantz received the successful blood stem cell transplant.

“It was wonderful to know that someone cared enough to go through all this for you. And I'm very, very grateful for Brian (and his wife). They're my angels,” said Jantz.

Following the transplant, Hendrickson reached out the Jantz through DKMS to find out how things were going. After months of email correspondence, Jantz decided to make the trip out to North Dakota to thank Hendrickson in person.

“I was shocked when I found he lived out in North Dakota. It’s amazing that there are still wonderful people like Brian here in the world,” said Jantz.

Both Hendrickson and Jantz are now advocates for becoming registered blood stem cell donors.

“I really encourage everybody to go out and be tested because it really changes people's lives,” said Jantz.

To join the donor pool, request a swab kit online at dkms.org. Registering as a donor is quick and easy – it requires simply swabbing the inside of your cheeks for 60 seconds each and then mailing the sample back to DKMS.

Here are a few facts about being a blood stem cell donor:

• 70% of people suffering from leukemia, lymphoma and other blood cancers must rely on donors outside their families.
• Every 3 minutes, an American is diagnosed with a type of blood cancer.
• Every day, at least 21 DKMS donors give patients a second chance at life.
• Every 9 minutes, an American is lost to a blood cancer.
• The incredible uniqueness of our DNA means finding a matching donor is extremely rare; finding a match is a numbers game, so it is critical that we register as many donors as possible.
• Those of mixed or diverse heritage are underrepresented in the donor pool, and heritage is one factor proven to determine the odds of finding a match to an unrelated donor. DKMS continues to focus on engaging, educating and empowering these communities through targeted campaigns, events, and partnerships.