Orban skips the (first) race of his Leipzig to donate stem cells

Always present. From start to finish. But now there are more important things to do. Willi Orban is one of Leipzig’s most important footballers. This season he has played in all 29 of his team’s matches. Always from the first minute. In 28 cases out of 29 up to the 90th minute. Next Saturday, however, he won’t be there in the summit challenge with Union Berlin. He has a social commitment: he has to donate stem cells to a stranger. He has to save a life.

History

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The 30-year-old Leipzig defender in 2017 registered at the DKMS, the largest donor center in the world based in Germany, in Tübingen. Now Orban has been identified as a suitable and ideal donor for a person (unknown to him) with leukemia. He will then donate his own stem cells. To prepare for the removal of the cells, Orban has been receiving special injections since Saturday evening that ensure increased cell production. To follow the donation process he has been resting since Sunday, avoiding training with the team. He is now in Dresden, where he will be blood sampled on Wednesday. On Thursday morning he will be able to return to Leipzig, but the doctors advise him not to practice sports for 10 days. In this way, at least he would miss next Saturday’s match against Union. The one with the Berliners (second in the standings) for Leipzig (fourth) is a real clash at the top.

The reaction

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“Of course, I was initially surprised when I received the information that I was eligible as a donor,” Orban said. But I have never had any doubts, I want to donate”. The Leipzig defender wanted to raise awareness on the subject, speaking to Bild. “This is an opportunity to save a human life with minimal effort, there is no turning back. I truly hope that my donation can help the recipient recover completely.” Once the operation is done, it will evaluate how long to actually stay still. He’s usually used to being there. Always. From start to finish. But this time the field takes a back seat.