news release

A TCCH employee and Sebastian-native, Victoria Weinbrecht, was called to give a life-saving donation last month to an adult with blood cancer. Through the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP^SM), formerly Be The Match®, Weinbrecht was able to potentially cure a patient suffering from a life-threatening disease via a blood stem cell donation.

Weinbrecht is the type of person to always jump up and extend a helping hand whenever she sees someone in need. Since childhood, with parents in the medical field, she knew a healthy and abled body was never guaranteed, so if one is fortunate enough to be healthy, it should be used to help others. So, in 2016 when NMDP came to her college marching band rehearsal to explain the program and ask people to join the registry, Weinbrecht knew it was something she had to do.

After years of waiting, Weinbrecht first received a call around 2019 about a potential match. Unfortunately, additional blood testing found she was not a complete match. Fortunately, she had another chance in 2024. Weinbrecht received the call again and after additional testing, found out she was the primary donor for a patient in severe need. “My first reaction was to cry – I was so happy. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to donate again and finding a match is actually a rare and really hard thing to do,” Weinbrecht recalls. Despite more than 41 million people on the registry, only 66% of patients, 50% of patients with an ethically diverse background, have a donor that is a complete match.

With the giving season approaching and November being National Marrow Awareness Month, Weinbrecht encourages anyone interested in learning more to visit http://www.nmdp.org.

About TCCH

TCCH brings together multiple services and specialties for a comprehensive team approach that is more convenient and cost effective for individuals and the community. Eight health centers offer behavioral and mental health, dental, medical, pharmacy, and vision services.

TCCH is a certified patient-centered medical and dental home, caring for pediatric to senior patients. TCCH offers a sliding fee discount based on household income and family size. For more information, visit tcchinc.org.