Stem Cell Donation Myths Dispelled in Doco Filmed Through First-Time Donor’s Eyes and Phone
Stem Cell Donors Australia’s new micro-documentary, ‘I’ve Been Told I Saved a Life’, captures the life-saving process of peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) donation through the eyes, and phone, of a first-time donor.
Created by Supersolid in close collaboration with Stem Cell Donors Australia, Concord Hospital, and the Sydney Local Health District, the film follows Bodhi, a 21-year-old nursing student from Newcastle in an in-depth documentation of the donation process.
Relying extensively on self-shot footage from Bodhi, the film covers the medical and personal journey of a stem cell donor to overcome common misconceptions about the process, attract new donors to the registry, and increase the rate of participation from current donors.
Supersolid co-founder and creative director Jonathon Shannon told LBB he’s never worked on something quite like this “special project.”
“It manages to capture something incredibly human and hopeful in a very vulnerable way, and bring the audience into the highs and lows of stem cell donation,” Jonathon said.
“Our protagonist donor, Bodhi, was absolutely brilliant throughout a long and occasionally difficult filming process, and I know his journey will inspire new and existing donors to follow in his footsteps and save lives.
“We like to say that we’ve put blood, sweat, and now stem cells into our relationship with Stem Cell Donors Australia. I feel very lucky to have experienced the crucial work that their team carries out every day, as both a creative partner and a stem cell donor myself.”
The intention of the film, said Stem Cell Donors Australia donor community lead Kaz Grant, is to help visualise the donation of stem cells.
“Many Australians have a low level of awareness regarding stem cell donation, making this a crucial piece of educational content,” Kaz said.
“We were keen to ensure that the filmmaking style would appeal to young Australians, who would appreciate a well-paced, engaging, and relatable story that not only showed the emotional depth of donating but was also transparent, raw, and honest.
“We spent over a year looking for the right donor to film. We had a few hopeful candidates, but for one reason or another, they fell through. We took to Bodhi almost instantly upon meeting him. He has a natural storytelling ability, along with his warm and charismatic personality; he was the donor we'd been looking for.”
Supersolid won the Stem Cell Donors Australia account at pitch in March 2023, and launched the first creative work, ‘There’s No One Like Me’, in October. The campaign generated 15.3 million impressions, leading to a 162% increase in ethnically diverse stem cell donor registrations, according to the agency.
“We chose Supersolid because they understand that our work isn’t just about delivering campaigns or content; it’s about the people, their lives and the emotional impact of donation,” Kaz said.
“Over the past couple of years, they’ve become more than a creative partner; they’ve become a supportive extension of our team … The trust and shared purpose we've built enable us to create work that educates and actively engages both our donors and the broader community.”
Conversations about a donor documentary project began in May 2024. Shortly after, Jonathon experienced the entire donation process first-hand, donating his own blood stem cells. The experience informed how the agency would eventually capture and film the donation process, and drove the decision to shoot the documentary through the eyes and phone of a donor.
The odds of being asked to donate stem cells depend on several factors, such as the size of the registry, age, and ethnicity. In Australia, there are currently around 160,000 registered donors, and donors have roughly a 1 in 1,500 chance of being called upon to donate.
The documentary is currently in consideration for the Australia Independent Film Festival and Doc.Sydney Documentary Film Festival.
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Australia urgently needs more eligible donors aged 18 to 35 to join the registry. By doing so, they offer the gift of hope to someone with blood cancer or a blood disorder, a genuine chance to save a life.
