How Nurses Can Save Lives Beyond the Bedside

Nursing is an integration of science and compassion, defined in our practice as well as the impact of the lives we touch. It is a legacy endured in the stories of patients and families shared long after our encounters end. Yet as a nursing leader and mentor, I am often asked how those same principles we model every day can extend beyond the bedside — to create a meaningful impact personally. To me, I feel nowhere is more evident than helping those impacted by blood cancer.

Every three minutes, someone is diagnosed with blood cancer.¹ According to the National Cancer Institute, in 2026, over 192,000 Americans are expected to be diagnosed with leukemia, Hodgkin lymphoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma and multiple myeloma.^2-5 For many patients, allogeneic stem cell transplantations (transplants provided by a donor) have led to positive outcomes. However, 75% of patients do not have a suitable donor match within their own families.⁶ Behind this number are people waiting — not just for treatment, but for someone willing to step forward.

It is within this gap — the space between medical possibility and donor availability — where we can make a profound impact through human generosity. It is where we can make the conscious choice to extend the very same commitment we show our patients every day to someone we never met and register to become a stem cell donor.

The stem cell donor journey is far more straightforward, and far less burdensome, than many people assume. Nationally recognized organizations, such as the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) offer established, clear inclusion criteria, including strict age and medical screening requirements, and a simple first step that can often be completed at home. All it takes is one simple cheek swab for those between the ages of 18 and 35.

If identified as a match, the process moves forward through a well-established and highly regulated donation method, either through peripheral blood stem cell collection or through bone marrow donation. It may mean stepping away from the bedside for a few days for a purposeful reason. And while donation requires a brief investment in time and energy, what may feel like a temporary inconvenience can become a second chance, and sometimes the only chance, at life for someone else.

As part of an organization that is a national leader in stem cell transplantation, performing over 20,000 bone marrow and stem cell transplants to date, I am reminded of that impact every day. I witness it as I cross paths with someone who is months or years beyond transplant, living a life that once felt uncertain. It’s in those moments — seeing what life looks like on the other side of transplant — that the meaning of our work truly comes into focus. One story that particularly stays with me is that of Lynn Leiro — she needed a life-saving transplant at the age of 40. And because of a donor thousands of miles away, she saw her daughter graduate from high school and go to college. She had more time with family and the ability to make new memories that previously felt unattainable.

And not only have I seen the extraordinary impact it has on the patient, but working in a hospital that is a registered NMDP collection site, I’ve also had the privilege of seeing donor generosity up close.

To be part of these journeys — to care for patients at their most vulnerable moments and to witness firsthand the compassion of people they never met — is what makes my career so deeply meaningful.

Nursing is not a profession we entered by chance. We choose it deliberately, motivated by compassion and driven by a willingness to act when others cannot. What if that same calling allowed us to save a life personally as well as professionally?

Together, we can lead a movement rooted in service, courage and generosity — one where nurses extend their impact beyond the bedside and set an example through action. This is how we turn our values into purpose, and our purpose into memorable legacies.

Not everyone, however, will meet the criteria to become a donor, and that reality matters. Yet even then, our role does not end. We can remain advocates by encouraging others, especially our younger generation, to step forward. I know I will be speaking with my own daughters who are of age, asking them to consider joining the donor registry and carrying forward the spirit of service that defines our profession.

I encourage you to join this cause in whatever way you can, by registering, by sharing this message or by inspiring the next generation to act. When the moment comes and someone is waiting for hope, your decision could be the one that saves their life.

Angelina Fakhoury, M.S.N., R.N., N.E.A.-B.C., is Chief Nursing Officer at City of Hope Cancer Center Chicago, which serves oncology patients across the Midwest. A seasoned nursing executive overseeing the nursing program, as well as the stem cell and bone marrow transplantation program, she focuses on advancing care delivery, patient safety and clinical excellence while supporting patients and families through complex, life‑altering diagnoses. Angelina is also a strong advocate for stem cell donation and expanding awareness of how individuals, both within and beyond health care, can help save lives.

1. Blood Cancer United. Blood cancer facts and statistics. https://bloodcancerunited.org/blood-cancer/blood-cancer-facts-and-statistics
2. National Cancer Institute. Cancer Stat Facts: Leukemia. https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/leuks.html
3. National Cancer Institute. Cancer Stat Facts: Hodgkin Lymphoma. https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/hodg.html
4. National Cancer Institute. Cancer Stat Facts: Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma. https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/nhl.html
5. National Cancer Institute. Cancer Stat Facts: Myeloma. https://seer.cancer.gov/statfacts/html/mulmy.html
6. National Marrow Donor Program. NMDP. https://nmdp.org