A handful of Greater Cincinnatians regularly hop a flight with carry-on luggage, but not for leisure. These volunteers have a special life-saving mission.
They're stem cell couriers for Be the Match, the national marrow donor program. Across the U.S., there are over 500 couriers making more than 300 trips every single month.
Mt. Washington's Jeff Schnirring is one of those volunteers. Before becoming a courier he was a stem cell donor, wanting to pay back what others had done for his father who was treated for lymphoma.
"It's such a great feeling being able to help save someone's life," he says. "It's indescribable. It's a fantastic feeling. I'm really blessed to be able to help."
What do stem cell couriers do?
Schnirring says there is stress involved in being a courier. He first picks up the stem cells from a donor center and then heads to the airport. He has to make sure the cells are handled with care and they don't go through the x-ray machine.
"You have to supervise them and make sure they (TSA agents) use fresh gloves because it's all sterilized."
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After the flight, Schnirring takes the stem cells to a transplant center. "When it's done and you completed it and the paperwork and you dropped off — relief. It's like the weight is off your shoulders, I guess."
Erica Sevilla with Be the Match says volunteer couriers go through a very extensive training program with lots of checks and balances along the way.
There is a waiting list to be a courier, but Sevilla encourages everyone aged 18-40 to join the Be the Match registry.
The reward is knowing you saved somebody's life
"People do not realize we can actually cure leukemia through this process and 75 other diseases can be cured or treated with a stem cell transplant," she says.
