When Aaron Morgan took a break from his semester-long stint as a Georgia legislative aide to fly to Nashville earlier this year, he wasn’t going for a vacation. He was going to save a life.

Morgan, a student in the School of Public Policy who is currently interning at the Georgia State Senate, was informed in January that his bone marrow was a match for a 68-year-old Nashville woman with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. He had been on the Be the Match bone marrow registry for more than four years. Chances of ever being selected are low.

“I immediately made the decision to donate. It was never really an option not to,” said Morgan.

He sought the permission of his “extremely supportive” boss, a state senator, to leave work early a few days for testing. A few X-rays, a couple of shots (to boost his stem cell count), and one flight to Nashville later, Morgan made what he said was a surprisingly easy donation.

“It was honestly one of the coolest experiences I’ve ever had,” said Morgan. “It really makes you stop and think about all the little things you do during the day and the impact that they might have on others.”

Morgan will be able to connect with the recipient of his donation in one year, if the recipient so chooses. His internship is part of Georgia's Legislative Internship Program.