"The feeling of giving someone a new chance in life is hard to describe."

When the phone rang, Albin Svensson Almkvist had no idea that the call would give him the chance to save a life. After joining the Tobias Registry a couple of years earlier, he suddenly faced a real decision – and chose to make a difference for someone he had never met.

- It was my mom who told me I should join the Tobias Registry and after doing some research it felt pretty obvious. The people who need help haven’t done anything to deserve their situation; the least I can do is take a bit of time out of my schedule and donate stem cells.

It was an unknown number that called Albin’s phone that day when he was at work.

- An unknown number always feels a bit strange, but after a few minutes I realized that I could actually make a difference in someone’s life. That really motivated me, even though of course a thousand different thoughts popped into my head at the same time.

I think the donation has affected me in a very good way.

When his thoughts had cleared and his questions had been answered, Albin chose to say yes to the donation and then donated his stem cells via blood at Uppsala University Hospital.

- It went smoothly; I thought it would be more demanding – both physically and mentally. I had great support from both family and friends, but also from everyone who helped with the donation. There was always someone who could answer my questions, so I felt safe.

Afterwards, he was met with pride and encouragement.

- Everyone around me had an incredible number of questions and after the donation everyone was very proud; I received many lovely compliments. I think the donation has affected me in a very positive way. You really can make a difference for others if you want to, and that’s something I try to pass on.

- I hope more people choose to join, because the feeling you get when you’ve given someone a new chance in life is hard to describe – but I can say it feels incredibly good.