RB Leipzig must make it possible next Saturday in the Bundesliga squatter against 1. FC Union Berlin without captain Willi Orbán. The reason is special: the thirty-year-old defender will donate stem cells on Wednesday. The advice is usually not to exercise for ten days afterwards. Orbán has been registered as a donor since 2017, and now a match has been found.
The 37-time Hungarian international has been receiving injections since Saturday, after which the donation will take place in Dresden on Wednesday. The fact that Orbán may have to miss an important match because of the donation was no reason for him to doubt. “That is of secondary importance. Anyone who knows me knows that I will do everything I can to get back to the team as soon as possible,” he says Image.
Unser Abwehrspieler wird sich deshalb am Mittwoch in Dresden einer peripheren Stammzellentnahme unterziehen.
??? Willi #Orban: „Für mich war sofort klar, dass ich die Spende direkt angehen möchte. Es ist die Möglichkeit, mit sehr kleinem Aufwand ein Menschenleben zu retten.” https://t.co/rTCVxXKLLZ
— RB Leipzig (@RBLeipzig) February 7, 2023
“I get the chance to save a human life, without much effort. I hope that with my donation I can help the recipient to fully heal,” said Orbán. He hopes that more people will register as a stem cell donor. “It is very simple and I feel very well guided. My example shows that it certainly makes sense to register.”
In recent days, there has also been a lot of attention for stem cell donation in the Netherlands, following a call from PSV press secretary Thijs Slegers. He said last week that doctors can no longer do anything, so that the after-effects of his stem cell transplant will eventually prove fatal. In his message he called on everyone to register as a stem cell donor or blood donor. “I can no longer be saved, but others can!” concluded Slegers.
Another well-known example of stem cell donation in the Dutch football world is Lennart Thy. The then VVV-Venlo striker missed an Eredivisie match against PSV in 2018 as a result of a stem cell donation. Thy, who is now under contract with Kitchen Champion Division leader PEC Zwolle, received many positive reactions because of that action.