Victor Villalobos was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma at the age of 18. After a bone marrow transplant using his own blood cells was unsuccessful, on March 28, 2006 he received a second transplant from an anonymous donor. After six weeks in isolation, on the day he was to leave the hospital, the donor cells began attacking his body due to their alien nature. After two more years of taking precautions to keep his practically non-existent immune system intact, Victor was given the green light to go back to college after a four-year hiatus. Says Victor, “I try to give back with random acts of kindness.”

Victor's Story

Victor Villalobos was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma at the age of 18. While undergoing chemotherapy, he assumed that he would be in remission soon. He had a bone marrow transplant using his own blood cells, but it didn’t work. On March 28, 2006, he received a second transplant from an anonymous donor – a random act of kindness from a total stranger. This time, everything seemed to be going well, if not better then expected. After a month and a half in isolation, Victor was told that he was well enough to leave the hospital. But, on the day he was to go home, his health started to spiral downward. Constant fevers, nausea and pains were now a part of his everyday life.

The donor cells began doing what most people in this situation fear – they started attacking his body due to their alien nature. The fight with GvH (graft versus host disease) began. “I didn’t know what to expect in the near future. Everything seemed cloudy,” said Victor. “But I had the will to fight not only for myself but for my family and friends. My mother was by my side experiencing the pains I would go through, but emotionally. Day in and day out, she was there doing everything she could to keep my spirits up. I would eventually find my way out of the hospital and back home; however this didn’t mean everything was going to be smooth sailing.”

Nearly every week, Victor was admitted into the hospital for various complications from the transplant throughout the rest of 2006. By October 2008, after so many years of taking precautions to keep his practically non-existent immune system intact, Victor was given the green light. He could now go back to college after a four-year hiatus.

“I continue life today with a whole new perspective on everything, the beauty that is life and the world around us,” Victor stated, now 24. “The gratitude that I feel to someone who just randomly would give a part of herself to help save someone else, is overwhelming. The story that I know is that my donor had never thought about donating before. She was walking with a friend when they passed by a sign about bone marrow donation and her friend said ‘let’s do this.’

“I try to give back with random acts of kindness. Recently, I gave a speech to local UPS employees regarding a toy drive for children facing devastating illnesses. I was able to inspire these people about the act of giving. Bone marrow donation saves lives, ‘Be the Match.’”