Secretive girl, 17, becomes youngest stem cell donor to help friend

Victoria Rathmill of Macclesfield, England, is setting an awesome example. The 17-year-old became a member of the Anthony Nolan bone marrow registry in February after a family friend was diagnosed with leukemia, and this month she became the youngest person to donate stem cells to a nonrelative, according to the registry. Rathmill signed up without telling her mother, who was pleasantly surprised to find out how altruistic her daughter's secret activities were. The procedure was done at the London Clinic, and though it's too early to tell how the patient will fare, everyone is hopeful. And Rathmill would happily consider donating another time. "It's just like giving blood," she told the BBC. "I would do it again because it's not that difficult. It's just a couple of days out of your life to save somebody else's — and I got a free trip to London."