Glenn Mojzer
From a donor, to a recipient and now a volunteer. Glenn Mojzer has been involved with Hoxworth for many years. He explains how being a donor may have been the thing that helped save his life.
A lifetime of giving takes an unexpected turn
For years, Glenn Mojzer was the one rolling up his sleeve to help someone else.
He began donating blood in the early 2000s and eventually became a regular Hoxworth Blood Center donor after a blood drive at his workplace. Glenn discovered he was O+ and continued donating faithfully through 2020.
Then, in 2021, thanks to the prescreening process during each blood donation, Glenn learned some serious news.
On January 6, Glenn’s hematocrit, a measurement of the percentage of red blood cells in the blood, was too low for him to donate. He was asked to return later. But with each appointment, his number continued to fall.
At first, Glenn didn't know what was causing the decline.
Then came a moment that made him realize something was seriously wrong.
A surprise diagnosis
In September 2021, Glenn was attending a Princeton High School football game with his family when his four-year-old grandson, Mitchell, took off running. Glenn ran after him but quickly found himself struggling to breathe and unable to keep up.
“I returned to my seat, sensing something was wrong,” he recalled.
Going about his normal routine, just days later, Glenn arrived at Hoxworth's Tri-County Neighborhood Donor Center for another donation appointment. His Hematocrit was once again too low to donate. Hoxworth staff recommended he look into the cause of his dropping hematocrit with a medical professional.
After visiting with his doctor, Glenn was referred to an oncologist, and on September 28, 2021, he received news that would change his life.
His doctor believed he had myelodysplastic syndrome, or MDS, a type of blood cancer.
“My body went limp,” Glenn said. “Many questions crossed my mind. How could that happen? Why do I have this? What is my lifespan? Will I get better? What’s next?”
Racing against time
Glenn was referred to Dr. Randy Broun at Jewish Hospital, who gave him a sobering assessment: without treatment, Glenn might not live another year.
A stem cell transplant offered his best chance.
Glenn sought a second opinion in Columbus. The doctors agreed with the diagnosis and treatment plan, and Glenn moved forward with chemotherapy to reduce the number of blasts in his bone marrow before transplant.
But finding the right stem cell donor was another challenge.
A sister becomes a perfect match
Glenn's family members underwent testing through the national stem cell donor search process. The results brought remarkable news: Glenn's youngest sister, Carolyn, was a perfect match.
While siblings have the best chance of being a match, there was still only about a 25% chance that Carolyn would be a perfect match for Glenn.
She enthusiastically agreed to donate.
On January 12, 2022, Glenn received Carolyn's stem cells in an allogeneic stem cell transplant. The date became, as Glenn describes it, his “new birthday.”
His body responded remarkably well, and he was released from the hospital after just 12 days. Recovery, however, was far from easy. Glenn faced graft-versus-host disease, spent a total of 62 days in the hospital during 2022 and received nearly two dozen blood and platelet transfusions during his first year after transplant.
As someone who had once been a regular blood donor, Glenn now understood the lifesaving importance of those donations from the other side.
Giving back in a new way
Glenn can no longer donate blood, but his connection to Hoxworth didn't end when his own health journey began.
In early 2023, his wife, Marta, attended a caregiver event and spoke with a Hoxworth representative about Glenn's journey and the many transfusions that helped him through treatment.
The representative had another idea: Glenn could volunteer.
On March 29, 2023, Glenn began volunteering at Hoxworth's Tri-County Neighborhood Donor Center in Springdale, the community he and Marta call home.
Today, he enjoys baking chocolate chip cookies, handing out beverages and talking with donors after their appointments.
He also makes sure they understand the difference their donation can make and shares his own story often.
“It’s timing, Glenn”
Carolyn not only gave Glenn a second chance at life. Her stem cells became part of him. After the transplant, Glenn's blood type changed from O-positive to A-positive, Carolyn's blood type.
Tragically, Carolyn died from ovarian cancer on February 28, 2024.
Before her death, Glenn had the opportunity to thank his sister in person for saving his life. During a visit with Carolyn in Florida, he told her, “Thank you for saving my life.”
Her response became the title of his story.
“It’s timing, Glenn.”
Had Carolyn been diagnosed with cancer just five months earlier, she would not have been eligible to donate her stem cells.
For Glenn, those words carry a lifetime of meaning.
“It’s unfortunate she saved me, but I couldn’t save her,” he said. “However, she will literally live within me forever.”
Today, Glenn continues to give back at Hoxworth with his time, his gratitude and a firsthand understanding of what every donation can mean to a patient fighting for another chance at life.
Join the community of Hoxworth Heroes
Like Glenn, you too can help local patients in many ways. While we often ask for volunteer blood donors to save local lives, Hoxworth relies on hundreds of volunteers each year to serve local patients. Volunteers are needed at our larger blood drives, our neighborhood donor centers, and even as drivers to transport blood across the Tri-State. If you are interested in learning more, follow this link.