ABC News correspondent Trevor Ault has taken a significant step in the fight against cancer by signing up for a stem cell donor registry. His decision was inspired by his colleague, Robin Roberts, who raised awareness about stem cell donation after her own lifesaving bone marrow transplant.

Ault, who is based in California, applied for a donation kit and submitted a cheek swab to the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP), a nonprofit organization that oversees a global marrow registry. A few months later, he received an unexpected email from NMDP with the subject line, "You're a match."

"What they've told me is that I'm a match for a middle-aged man on the other side of the world who has bone cancer," Ault shared during a segment on "Good Morning America." He expressed surprise and excitement at the news, stating, "Honestly, when I signed up for this registry, I didn't know that I would ever hear from them ever again, and this email out of the blue is a pleasant surprise, because we could get to do something pretty cool here, I think."

This email initiated a process that led Ault to travel from California to Seattle in November to donate his stem cells to a stranger. NMDP covered all of Ault's travel expenses, as the organization pays for travel and non-medical costs for all donors, along with any medical expenses not covered by insurance.

Before the donation, Ault underwent health screenings and received a series of injections over five days to enhance his body's stem cell production. He described the donation process as "relatively pain-free," taking less than three hours. Ault donated peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) through apheresis, a non-surgical procedure where blood is drawn from one arm, processed to separate the blood-forming cells, and then returned to the other arm. This method accounts for 90% of stem cell donations.

The alternative method involves a hospital procedure to extract liquid marrow from the pelvic bone, typically requiring a full day in the hospital. Most donors recover within a week.

Ault is sharing his experience to encourage others to join the NMDP registry. The organization emphasizes the urgent need for young, healthy donors, as many patients requiring bone marrow and stem cell transplants depend on donations from strangers in the registry. To learn more about becoming a bone marrow donor, individuals can visit or text GMA to 61474 to request a swab kit.