Willi Orban, captain of RB Leipzig, may miss his team’s crucial match against Union Berlin this weekend. This is due to a stem cell donation that will save a stranger’s life.
Orban has participated in every minute of Leipzig’s Bundesliga season thus far. He has helped the team move up to fourth in the rankings under Marco Rose.
They play Union, the league’s surprise team, on Saturday at the Red Bull Arena. But, the Hungarian defender may be absent since he has been unable to practice all week due to his stem cell donation.
By replacing bad blood cells with healthy ones from a donor, a stem cell transplant is able to cure blood cell diseases including leukemia and lymphoma.
Orban signed with the German Bone Marrow Donor File in 2017, when Leipzig started a campaign on the subject.
He was recently notified that he had a’match,’ which means that there was a suitable receiver of a donation from him and someone in need with the same or comparable tissue type.
Orban is still on hold to donate blood on Wednesday, after getting injections in the days leading up to the procedure.
The 30-year-old has subsequently expressed his delight at the prospect of maybe saving someone’s life.
Naturally, I was shocked when I realized I was eligible to be a donor at first, he said to Bild.
‘But I never had any concerns; I wanted to deal with the donation head on. There are no two ways about it: this is the prospect of saving a human life with minimal effort.
‘I sincerely hope that my contribution will be able to totally heal the receiver.’
The extraction of Orban’s stem cells will take place in Dresden and will span several hours.
Willi Orban, the Big-Hearted Captain
It is unlikely that the 30-year-old will play in Leipzig’s match against Union because donors need to take a 10-day break. even if it is not anticipated that the patient would spend the night in the hospital.
Considering how physically fit Orban is, his participation on Saturday will largely depend on how he responds to the treatment.
The defender, though, feels that there is a larger issue at hand than just football.
‘Of course, I may miss the game versus Union – despite all my sports objectives, that’s secondary in this scenario,’ he remarked.
If a recovery occurs and both sides are willing, Orban may get to meet the person who will get his stem cells. He has been provided information about this individual, including their gender and whereabouts.
On the other side, the defender was intent on the importance of what he was doing and exhorted others to join up for stem cell donation.
‘I would that many more individuals will register,’ he continued. It’s extremely straightforward, and I feel very well taken care of.
‘My example demonstrates that registering is a no-brainer.’