ABC News' Trevor Ault watched co-anchor struggled to find a 'stem cell' match — so he made a personal vow
When ABC News correspondent Trevor Ault signed his name onto a donor registry, he wasn’t expecting a life-changing email to land months later, per Good Morning America. His decision wasn’t impulsive, as he was motivated by someone he admired because of her journey through a medical crisis.
A few years ago, “Good Morning America’s” Robin Roberts shared about her battle with a blood disorder and the lifesaving bone marrow transplant that followed. Her courage and the hope she extended to thousands of patients waiting for a match stayed with Ault for a long time. Eventually, he made a promise to himself if he could help to save someone’s life, he would.
So he ordered a kit from NMDP, the nonprofit managing a global stem cell and marrow registry. It was simple, quick and easy to forget about. Then an email arrived a few months later and the subject line read: “You’re a match.”
On Tuesday, November 25th, 2025, on ‘Good Morning America’, he said, “What they've told me is that I'm a match for a middle-aged man on the other side of the world who has bone cancer. Honestly, when I signed up for this registry, I didn't know that I would ever hear from them ever again and this email out of the blue is a pleasant surprise, because we could get to do something pretty cool here, I think.” That message set an entire chain in motion. Within weeks, Ault was on a flight from California to Seattle and everything was taken care of by NMDP, as is standard protocol for all donors. Along with travel, the organization takes care of non-medical costs and any medical expenses not covered by insurance. Donors are meant to focus on only one thing: giving.
Ault underwent a series of screenings and injections to increase the number of circulating stem cells in his bloodstream. For five days, his body was prepared for donation and then the day came.
Ault’s stem cells were collected through apheresis, a non-surgical method used by about 90% of donors. Blood flows out through one arm, moves through a machine that separates the blood-forming cells and the rest is returned through the other arm. It took less than three hours and was “relatively pain-free.” The alternative method, bone marrow donation, is done in a hospital using needles to withdraw liquid marrow from the back of the pelvic bone. It’s a single-day procedure, and most donors recover within a week. Both options save lives; the method is determined by what the patient needs.
Somewhere across the world, a man battling bone cancer was counting on Ault. Stem cell transplants often serve as a final line of defense for patients whose own stem cells have been destroyed by intense chemotherapy or radiation. According to a study available on the National Cancer Institute highlights that these transplants are a cornerstone treatment for cancers like leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma and myelodysplastic syndromes. They’re also used for several childhood cancers, including neuroblastoma and brain tumors that return.
For many patients, a donor isn’t just helpful, it’s the only chance. Ault knows this, which is why he’s speaking openly about his experience. His goal is to encourage participation. “There is an urgent need for young, healthy and willing donors,” the NMDP says and he hopes his story nudges others to join.
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