You can only do it twice

Stem cell donor: “I’d do it again in a heartbeat”

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01.11.2026 15:00

A 39-year-old man from Braunau donated his stem cells twice to recipients with serious illnesses. He advises everyone to follow his example—but for him, it’s “over” now, even though he’d gladly do it again at any time.

It was a case of leukemia in his immediate circle of friends and family that motivated Fabian Detzlhofer to register as a stem cell donor in 2020. Three years later, the 39-year-old from Braunau had his first “match”: “I was contacted over the summer and asked if I was willing to donate, which was a given for me.”

A Great Responsibility
After a medical examination to ensure the recipient’s safety, he was informed about the next steps. “They make it clear that if you agree, the recipient’s immune system will be suppressed—in other words, destroyed—so that they can accept the donation. That was a strange feeling. If I had fallen ill or been in an accident, it would have had fatal consequences,” explains the father of an eight-year-old boy.

Side Effects, But . . .
But everything went smoothly; in about four and a half hours, approximately 200 milliliters of stem cells were extracted from his blood. “Most people don’t experience any side effects, but I had significant bone pain. Of course, that’s nothing compared to what the recipients have to go through,” says the selfless man from the Innviertel region.

Halt Due to Donor Protection
That’s exactly why he didn’t hesitate for a second when he was contacted again last September: “On October 22, I donated again, and I’d do it again in a heartbeat,” Detzlhofer says with a smile. But the law holds him back: “In Austria, you’re not allowed to donate more than twice for donor protection reasons. But I advise everyone to register and perhaps save a life,” says Detzlhofer.

This article has been automatically translated,
read the original article here.

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