When Jeremiah Craft was growing up, he saw his aunt, Robin Roberts, who is a co-anchor on “Good Morning America,” get a bone marrow transplant that saved her life. His mom, Sally-Ann Roberts, was the one who donated the stem cells for the transplant in 2012. She was a perfect match for her younger sister.
The Roberts sisters’ journey was special because most people who need a bone marrow transplant don’t have a close family member who is a perfect match. According to NMDP, an organization that manages a global marrow registry, about 70% of patients don’t have a fully-matched donor in their family. So, they have to rely on donations from strangers who are on the NMDP registry.
Courtesy of The Roberts Family
With those statistics in mind, Sally-Ann Roberts convinced Craft, at the time a teenager, to sign up for the NMDP registry, which involves sending in a simple swab of your inner cheek that can help match you to current or future patients.
“My mom basically ‘voluntold’ me to sign up, like it was a suggestion I had to follow,” Craft, now 29, explained to “GMA.”
Years later, he was surprised to find out he was a match for someone in need.
You can take the first step to sign up to be a bone marrow donor today. Just visit my.nmdp.org/gma or text GMA to 61474 to ask for a swab kit.
However, when Craft was first asked to participate in the transplant, he said no. According to NMDP, less than half of potential donors agree to donate when they are a match, for various reasons.
“At the time, I was only thinking about myself,” Craft admitted. “I was being selfish and didn’t listen to the call.”
Craft soon regretted his decision, realizing it was a big mistake. “I was sure it was the worst decision of my life,” he said.
In January, Craft unexpectedly got another chance. NMDP called him to say he was once again a match.
“Because I’ve been thinking about that person every day since then, I couldn’t say no this time,” Craft said about his decision to donate.
His mom, Sally-Ann Roberts, added, “He didn’t hesitate. He was ready.”
Once he decided to move forward, Craft underwent five days of injections to help stimulate his blood stem cells to prepare for donation day.
In March, Craft went from New York City to Houston to make his donation. NMDP covered all his travel costs, which is what they usually do.
NMDP pays for travel and other non-medical expenses for all donors. They also cover any medical costs that insurance doesn’t pay for, as mentioned on their website.
Before Craft donated, Robin Roberts talked to him and called him a “superhero.”
“Good Morning America” co-anchor Robin Roberts poses with her nephew, Jeremiah Craft.
Courtesy of The Roberts Family
“I’m proud of you,” she said to her nephew.
Craft said he was “grateful to God” to have a second change at saving a life.
“I’m just an ordinary guy trying to do something good for the second time,” he said. “I’m thankful to God that I can go from pretending to be a hero to getting older, understanding what really matters, and actually saving a life.”
Craft donated through a process called peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) donation. It’s not surgery. They take blood from one arm, run it through a machine to separate the blood-forming cells, and then put the rest of the blood back into the other arm, according to NMDP.
Jeremiah Craft is pictured in March 2024 during the bone marrow donation process.
Courtesy of The Roberts Family
Craft’s donation took five hours in total, but how long it takes can change.
Another way to donate is through bone marrow. It happens in a hospital and usually takes one day. They use needles to take out liquid marrow from the back of the pelvic bone. The donor usually stays in the hospital from morning to late afternoon. Most donors feel better within a few weeks, according to NMDP.
