Emotional encounter

Thanks to donor: “Viktor saved my life”

After being diagnosed with leukemia in 2019, there was not much hope for Günter Grabner (right) from Styria. Until he came along: Viktor Schwabl (34) from Vienna (left).

(Bild: Juergen Fuchs)

A moment of indescribable joy: a cured cancer patient and his stem cell donor met in person for the first time. A story of encouragement!

Günter Grabner takes a deep breath. There is tension in the air. The 63-year-old from Eastern Styria is about to meet the person who saved his life by donating stem cells for the first time. With a smile on his lips, Viktor Schwabl comes up the stairs to the Red Cross base in Hartberg (Styria) and heads towards Günter Grabner.

Tearful encounter
The two men immediately fall into each other's arms like old friends. "It's nice to see that you're doing well," says 34-year-old Viktor Schwabl. "And my family is fine again too. Thanks to you," replies Grabner. His wife and two daughters have tears in their eyes when Schwabl takes them in his arms.

It was overwhelming when I saw this little blood bag and knew that it could save my life.

Günter Grabner hat den Krebs besiegt

Devastating diagnosis in 2019
It is a historic and highly emotional moment. After the first stem cell donation in Austria was arranged by the Red Cross in 2019, donor and recipient met in person for the first time. Günter Grabner received the devastating diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia - blood cancer - in August 2019.

Viktor Schwabl had registered as a stem cell donor with the Red Cross relatively shortly beforehand: "I've been a blood donor since I was 18 and was a Red Cross emergency driver myself. So the obvious thing for me to do was to register as a stem cell donor." And indeed, the call that Schwabl was a potential donor came surprisingly quickly - and in Austria to boot.

"Likeable right away"
After extensive examinations, the time had come in November 2019 and the life-saving stem cell donation was carried out. Günter Grabner has now beaten cancer and is even playing tennis again. "It was overwhelming when I saw that little bag of blood and knew it could save my life," recalls the pensioner, who cannot find enough words of thanks for his donor. The two of them definitely want to stay in touch: "We liked each other straight away!"

Wiener Spezialist im Interview

41,8 Millionen Kandidaten – Hilfe aber trotzdem oft nicht möglich

"Krone": Mr. Witt, what are stem cells and why are they so important?
Dr. Volker Witt, specialist at Vienna's St. Anna Children's Hospital: Haematopoietic stem cells are cells from which all blood cells develop. They are essential for the treatment of diseases such as leukemia, in which cancer cells crowd out healthy blood cells. A donation can restore the recipient's blood-forming system and immune system and is often the only chance of a cure.

Who can become a stem cell donor and how does the registration process work?
Healthy people between the ages of 18 and 35 who weigh at least 50 kilograms can become donors. Registration takes place online via the Austrian Red Cross or at local campaigns. Tissue characteristics are determined using a kit containing cotton swabs for a cheek swab and a health questionnaire. The swab can be returned by post or handed in.

Why is it actually so difficult to find a suitable donor?
The tissue characteristics must match exactly, which is rarely the case - the chance is 1 in 500,000. This is why as many registrations as possible are necessary. Despite 41.8 million registered donors worldwide, there is no matching donor for every tenth person affected.

What would you say to people who are unsure whether they should register at all?
Registration only takes a few minutes, but it can save a life. Anyone who registers could be the only chance of a cure for someone with the disease - a unique opportunity to give life.