Köln – What a moving and heartfelt reunion: At the end of May, Dominic LeBlanc visited his lifesaver Jonathan Kehl and his family in Bad Hersfeld, Hesse. A few years ago, the student gave the 55-year-old a second chance at life with a stem cell donation – thanks to this, the Canadian politician is doing well again. A few months ago, Dominic LeBlanc and Jonathan Kehl met in person for the first time. The student traveled to Canada especially for this purpose. Now the return visit followed – for everyone it was again an unforgettable meeting.
“We have a connection that will last for the rest of our lives”says Dominic LeBlanc. “I’m happy, everything is fine and I’m healthy. I get a check-up in a clinic every six months.” Together with Jonathan he walks through Bad Hersfeld and tells his own personal history of illness. “I wouldn’t be here today if Jonathan hadn’t done what he did and if DKMS didn’t do the work it does. People like me wouldn’t be standing here and I wouldn’t have been able to come to Bad Hersfeld to meet the person who saved my life!”
Dramatic years lie behind the 55-year-old. In 2017, he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and was temporarily suspended from government. At some point it became clear that he was dependent on a stem cell donation. The worldwide search was started and with jonathan kehl found the right match. At the age of just 17, he had registered as a potential donor in the DKMS donor database. Then, in the summer of 2019, he received news that would change his life forever: he was a potential stem cell donor for a patient. Shortly after the donation, the student teacher learned that his stem cells had been taken to a man in Canada. What he didn’t know at the time was that he had saved the life of Dominic LeBlanc from Moncton, New Brunswick with his mission.
After the anonymity ban expired, the politician contacted Jonathan with an emotional letter. “The doctors in Montreal had told me that I had to wait the two-year anonymity period before I could meet my donor, if he agreed. Two years and a month after the transplant, I was on my way from Montreal to the capital, Ottawa. I was checking my email when I saw a message from my Montreal hospital. And it said: “Upon your request, we will give you the data about your donor,” he recalls. “What struck me was that he was born in 1999. I didn’t expect that the donor was only 20 years old when he donated the stem cells. In the e-mail I found his address in Bad Hersfeld, his telephone number and his e-mail address. Together with my assistants, who were in the car with me, we immediately googled Bad Hersfeld.”
Video calls followed, and recently the first face-to-face meeting. Jonathan traveled to Canada especially for this purpose and got to know Dominic’s homeland and his family. Jonathan was particularly pleased that he was so warmly welcomed by Dominic’s wife Jolène and his stepson. “I was welcomed with open arms and we bonded immediately. They cooked for me and we told each other about our families.” Without further ado, he invited her to Bad Hersfeld for a return visit.
Dominic also introduced Jonathan to his work colleagues and friends. One of them is Justin Trudeauthe Canadian head of government, in whose cabinet Dominic LeBlanc is a member as Minister for Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities – and about whom there is a nice story to report. “The German chancellor was recently in Canada. Justin Trudeau told Olaf Scholz that I am the only minister in the Canadian government who has 100% German blood. Thanks to Jonathan, who comes from Bad Hersfeld”sagt Dominic LeBlanc.
Unforgettable hours with Jonathan’s family
A few months later, Dominic LeBlanc traveled to the small town in Hesse. The long-awaited meeting started at Jonathan’s childhood home, where Dominic LeBlanc and his wife Jolène were warmly welcomed by Jonathan with his grandparents, parents and siblings. The coffee table was lovingly set and a specialty was served in honor of the two. “There was Black Forest cake – very tasty”reports Dominic LeBlanc. “It’s not my first time in Germany, but my first time in Bad Hersfeld. I’m very, very happy to be here. I have been looking forward to this visit for two years.”
We continued with a city tour through Bad Hersfeld. Dominic LeBlanc repeatedly put his arm around Jonathan during the walk and beamed with joy. “Jonathan is my genetic twin. I owe him a great debt of gratitude. He saved my life thanks to his kindness and deed”said is. “It feels very familiar and I’ve found a friend for life in Dominic”adds Jonathan.
And how could it be otherwise – another meeting is being planned. Dominic LeBlanc has invited Jonathan and his family to Canada. “I hope this won’t be the last time we see each other. We are genetically linked forever so I hope Jonathan’s family can come to Canada this summer or in a few months. I hope that I can come again on my next vacation.”
But before that he had another culinary wish. “I want to eat a schnitzel. “After all, I’m the only minister in Canada who now has 100 percent German blood,” he says with a wink. “I’ve always been a fan of German sausages and schnitzel. When Jonathan was in Canada we went to the best steakhouses in Montreal together. Tonight I’m looking forward to a great German meal with Jonathan’s family in Bad Hersfeld.”
Registration in the DKMS – done quickly and easily!
For the Canadian politician and Jonathan, it is an absolute matter of the heart to campaign for the issue of stem cell donation and to motivate as many people as possible to register as potential lifesavers. “German science and research, German generosity and the DKMS save lives every week, in Canada and around the world. It’s a remarkable thing the Germans are doing.”so Dominic LeBlanc.
More than 11.5 million potential donors are currently registered with the DKMS in seven countries. In Germany alone there are more than 7.5 million people of diverse ethnic groups. Internationally, DKMS is active in the USA, Poland, UK, Chile, India and South Africa. In Germany alone, almost 125,000 registered potential lifesavers will be removed from the database this year due to age; in the coming years this number will even increase. The reason: After the 61st birthday, we are no longer allowed to list potential donors in the international search registers. Medical reasons are decisive here.
“I can only recommend everyone to register. For me it was a very easy way to save a life. The procedure I had to go through was nothing compared to what someone has who has blood cancer for example. Registration is really very easy”the lute Jonathan’s Appeal.
Therefore, the DKMS urges all people between the ages of 17 and 55 to register as potential donors. Those interested can apply online at any time www.dkms.de order a registration set with precise instructions to your home. The cheek swab is done quickly and easily. The donor sends the sets with the cheek swab directly to the DKMS Life Science Lab in Dresden in the enclosed return envelope. The tissue characteristics are determined in this high-performance laboratory and made available for the global donor search.
The DKMS school project – for even more chances in life
“This very registration set saved my life! The fact that the DKMS organizes registration campaigns in German schools and motivates young Germans to have a cheek swab is what saves so many lives every day in Canada, Germany and all over the world,” Dominic LeBlanc sums it up. “If Jonathan hadn’t decided to use it at his school six years ago, if DKMS hadn’t gotten involved in schools, I wouldn’t be standing here today. I wouldn’t have survived.”
For almost two decades, the DKMS has been informing students at schools throughout Germany about the topics of blood cancer and stem cell donation in its educational project. Under the motto “Your type is in demand!It also offers them the opportunity to register as potential stem cell donors during on-site campaigns.
The commitment of young people to the DKMS is vital. Because they are available as potential donors over a long period of time and, due to their age, usually have good physical prerequisites for a stem cell donation.