When actor Michael Park got an unexpected phone call while sitting in Bryant Park with his daughter, he almost didn’t pick up. “It looked like spam,” he laughed. But the message was anything but ordinary: Park had been identified as a stem cell match for a patient in need—nearly 15 years after joining the NMDP (formerly Be The Match) donor registry. His decision to say yes was immediate and deeply personal.
Park’s sister passed away from leukemia when they were young, and he still recalls the family’s painful search for a bone marrow donor. “We flew to Minnesota when I was 16, hoping for a transplant that never happened. It was devastating,” he shared. “So, when I got the call, it was an emotional moment. I called my wife first, and then my mom. She just started crying.”
At 56 years old and in the middle of a physically demanding Broadway run, Park initially assumed he might be too old to donate. But after learning the procedure would be a peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) donation—collected through a process similar to donating platelets—he was relieved and ready. “Knowing it wasn’t the bone marrow procedure made it a much easier decision.”
Michael made his donation at NYBC’s Rye Donor Center, surrounded by our Comprehensive Cell Solutions team (CCS) and his wife Laurie Nowak. He was encouraged by the knowledge that he might help save someone’s life.
He hopes sharing his experience will help demystify the process and encourage others to swab and join the registry. “People get scared off thinking it’s invasive or painful. But it really isn’t. I’m hooked up right now, and I feel great. It takes no time. Costs nothing. And the outcome is extraordinary.”
In a world where it’s easy to retreat, Park believes it’s more important than ever to step up. “You don’t think of it as being a hero. You’re just helping someone. And shouldn’t we all?”
NYBC’s Comprehensive Cell Solutions team (CCS) leads the way with lifesaving donations every day. Learn more about CSS activities, visit https://www.comprehensivecellsolutions.com.
If you are interested in being a part of the donation process and join the registry at https://www.nmdp.org/.
