Massachusetts Leukemia Survivor Meets Life-saving Gift Of Life Marrow Registry Donor For The First Time
Emotional Reunion Took Place at Annual Miami Beach Chamber Gala.
- (1888PressRelease) May 21, 2025 - In an emotional meeting more than a year in the making, leukemia survivor Jay Goldman was introduced to the stranger who saved his life—Noam Goldberg, a 27-year-old data scientist residing in New York City. The encounter took place at the Annual Miami Beach Chamber Gala held on May 17 in Miami Beach, Fla.
During the event, Gift of Life Marrow Registry was recognized with the Jan Pfeiffer Distinguished Service Award for its tireless efforts in facilitating stem cell and marrow transplants for patients with blood cancer and other related diseases.
In 2023, Goldman, a retired software engineer from Waltham, Mass., was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, an aggressive and often fatal form of blood cancer. With no matching donor within his family, his survival depended on the selfless act of a stranger. This was especially difficult for Goldman as he was not only battling his own illness, but both his wife and my daughter-in-law were also diagnosed with cancer during that same period.
“I was just totally surprised that this had occurred,” said Goldman. “I wondered what might have caused this.”
After enduring several rounds of chemotherapy, Goldman received the life-changing news that a donor had been found through the Gift of Life Registry.
That match was Goldberg, who had joined the registry on a Birthright Israel trip in May 2018, unaware that he would one day be called to help save a life. He joined in honor of his father who survived two different kinds of cancer, feeling grateful to have an opportunity to help someone in need.
“I never quite had the means to help others in the way I wanted to,” said Goldberg. “This felt like the first time I could, knowing that what I'm giving is truly meaningful.”
On the day of his donation, Goldberg was accompanied by his mother. The procedure took place at the John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, N.J., not far from his parents’ home.
After the required one-year wait mandated by medical anonymity laws, the pair’s embrace was met with cheers from the crowd and underscored the impact of stem cell donation and the mission behind the Gift of Life registry.
“Beyond saying thank you, I’m speechless,” said Goldman. “I truly don’t know what I would’ve done if no donor had been available.”
“Being a donor has been incredibly rewarding,” said Goldberg. “The impact you can make is profound, and I highly recommend getting involved.”
About Gift of Life Marrow Registry
Gift of Life Marrow Registry is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization headquartered in Boca Raton, Fla. The organization, established in 1991, is dedicated to saving lives by facilitating blood stem cell and bone marrow transplants for patients with leukemia, lymphoma, and other blood-related diseases. The registry houses its own state-of-the-art stem cell collection center, biobank, and laboratory. To learn more about Gift of Life Marrow Registry, visit www.giftoflife.org.
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