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By Laura Durenberger-Grunow - Boreal Community Media - October 29, 2025

Community member Robert Hackett's life drastically changed following what began as a routine blood draw at a Veterans' hospital. The results came back with a platelet count of 1.4 million, exceeding the high end of the normal range (400,000), which led to a diagnosis of Myelofibrosis, a form of bone marrow cancer.

Robert shared his story with Boreal Community Media, specifically, of the time when he learned the prognosis: “After testing, I received a call on my 50th birthday that I would need a stem cell transplant to give myself a 50/50 shot at a cure for my disease. My other choice was a 14% chance to live another 5 years.”

Robert opted for the blood stem cell transplant and was fortunate to find two unrelated donors who were a match, as “none of my family matched enough to donate for me, that is a very typical thing to happen,” he said. Data from NMDP (formerly bethematch.org) supports this. According to the organization, 70% of patients don't have a fully matched donor in their family, meaning patients like Robert rely on the donor registry. 

Hackett's life-saving stem cells came from an anonymous donor: “I was honored to receive a donation from a 29-year-old male from somewhere in the United States. I only know this much because that’s all I was told.” Though he has requested his donor's identity, the person wished to remain anonymous, which Hackett respects, but "would love the chance to thank him for my life!”

The transplant procedure took place after “11 rounds of chemotherapy in seven days," Hackett shared. After chemo, doctors had to wait for Robert's red and white blood cells, a1c's, platelets, and more to "all drop to zero," for the blood stem cell donation. At that point, the cells were "introduced into my body via a central line directly into my heart,” he said. 

Robert described the unique sensation of receiving the flash-frozen stem cells, which were warmed to a "slushy" consistency before infusion: “As you could imagine, introducing a slushy straight into your heart is very cold with a whole body brain freeze.” Following the transplant, Hackett had to isolate for two weeks. 

Despite all that he had to go through, Robert reports that everything proceeded as planned, and on January 27, 2023, a date he now refers to as his “survivor birthday,” he was able to watch the Super Bowl from his hotel room.

Since the transplant, life has presented a “new normal,” a phrase his medical team uses, marked by both "challenges and blessings." Robert returned to Grand Portage and cares for his three children and two foster boys, noting, “These young adults have been my lifeline.”

Like many transplant recipients, he has faced some complications, including two bouts of Graft vs. Host disease, which occurs when the donor's immune cells fight the recipient's body. However, he credits his medical team for managing his condition, stating, "Luckily, my team is the best in the world at what they do, and with medications, it is slowly getting back to normal." 

Hackett ended his story by encouraging others to register as donors: “People see me, and if you didn’t know my story, you would not see much difference about me... I am able to live a very normal life with the love of family and friends, which I now cherish more than ever! ... To anyone thinking of joining the registry for donations, let me encourage you to give back a life to someone like me! My blessings are uncountable! The journey is hard, but as I always told my children, at the end of our communications. With hope, we have everything!”

Related: "Give Life to the Max": Community member Ashley Konop shares her story of receiving life-saving emergency blood transfusion

Give Live to the Max: Blood Stem Cell Donation

According to the NMDP, a blood stem cell transplant can cure or treat more than 75 different blood cancers and diseases, replacing diseased cells with healthy donor cells. These conditions include various leukemias (like Acute Myeloid Leukemia, with about 22,000 new adult cases annually in the U.S.), lymphomas, and disorders such as Sickle Cell Disease (affecting over 120,000 people).

As mentioned previously, since a family member is not a match for about 70% of patients, they must rely on the national registry. The NMDP states that matching is complex and based on "Human Leukocyte Antigens (HLA) typing." Because of this, there is always the need for new registry members, including a strong demand for younger donors (ages 18-35) and those from diverse ethnic backgrounds to increase the chance of finding a match.

Donation primarily occurs via two methods: the common, non-surgical Peripheral Blood Stem Cell (PBSC) donation (similar to donating plasma) or Bone Marrow Donation (performed under general anesthesia). The NMDP covers all associated costs, including travel and missed wages due to donation.

You can register as a potential donor if you’re:

• Between the ages of 18 and 35
• A resident of the U.S., its territories, or freely associated states
• Able to meet NMDP health guidelines
• Not already registered through another U.S. organization
  
  

**Please note: At this time, only potential donors aged 18-35 can be added to the blood stem cell donor registry. According to NMDP, donors aged 18 to 35 are medically preferred and requested nearly 80% of the time by medical professionals because scientific studies show that cells from younger donors lead to better long-term survival rates for patients. Read more here. 

Give Life to the Max: Boreal Community Media Donor Drive

In honor of Give to the Max Day, Boreal Community Media is hosting a community drive at The Hub in Grand Marais on November 18.

Boreal Community Media staff and board members will be on site on the 18th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to hand out and collect blood stem cell donor registration kits. Joining the national registry involves a simple cheek swab for Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) typing. All you have to do is show up, swab your cheek, and we'll take care of mailing the kit in for you. 

Learn more about the process of joining the registry and see if you're eligible here.

In addition, a blood drive will take place via a Memorial Blood Center bus, which will be parked at The Hub on Tuesday, November 18, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. All blood donors must schedule an appointment ahead of time. 

A separate blood drive, hosted by the West End Community, is scheduled for Monday, November 17, in Tofte for those who cannot make the Grand Marais date.

As a thank-you, all blood donors and every individual who swabs for the registry on the 18th will receive a free Boreal Community Media mug. 

Boreal Community Media, a 501(c)(3) non-profit, is proud to host events like this, which are funded in part by financial gifts received in honor of Give to the Max Day. Learn more or give here. 

In the coming weeks, we'll be sharing more stories of community members who have received lifesaving donations of blood and/or bone marrow, so stay tuned! If you or someone you know would like to share their story, please reach out to [email protected]. 

A huge thank you to Memorial Blood Centers and NMPD for partnering with us for this Give to the Max Day event, and to The Hub for allowing us to use their space for the event that day!