Leipzig defender and captain Willy Orban can miss a game to save a man's life

Willy Orban registered in the German donor registration system back in 2017. Recently received news that a patient with the same tissue type as him had been found. The football player will become a peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) donor. This procedure helps patients in 90% of cases (another 10% requires bone marrow extraction).

"I was certainly surprised to learn that I could become a donor. But I did not doubt that I wanted to become a donor. This is a chance to save someone's life with minimal loss, there can be no two opinions. I hope that my help will help the patient make a full recovery," said Willy Orban.

Stem cells are cells, including those from which all blood cells in the body are formed. When donating, they are taken from a person and transplanted into a patient who needs treatment. Later, the patient's new blood cells mature to replace the cancerous cells. The body replaces the stem cells within two to three months.

Orban is the fourth-best player in Leipzig's history. He has played for the club since 2015, all 19 games this season without a substitution. In Germany, there was a similar example in the fall: Karlsruhe defender Marcel Franke missed the game against Darmstadt in the second Bundesliga in October for the same reason. He successfully became a donor.

Being a donor is a noble mission to give the hopeless a chance for recovery and great happiness! It is gratifying that every day more people are willing to help seriously ill people.