Southampton - From a hard earned degree at Harvard University to co-founding a high-profile medical organization, former stylist Katharina Harf knows how to work wonders - and she's not stopping anytime soon.

Harf is changing lives and history at best. Her father, Peter Harf is the Chairman of Coty, Inc., one of the world's top fragrance companies. Despite his success, he always encouraged his daughter to follow her own dreams.

Her journey began at the young age of 14 when her personal life took an unexpected turn. "My mother had leukemia and we were looking for a donor for her. She had a really bad donor and there was very little chance of her surviving. She went with a transplant and didn't survive." At the time of her mother's death, Harf's living room in Munich, Germany became a place to recruit donors. Her father had been working tirelessly to find a match for his wife and Harf devoted her time in hopes of a miracle. In just one single year, they recruited 70,000 donors. With such a positive turnout, they couldn't turn away from the spark of faith they ignited.

Rihanna, Isabel and Katharina Harf smile for the camera at an exclusive event.

Together the two founded DKMS Americas, one of the world's largest bone marrow donor centers, which quickly became the largest organization of its kind. From international beginnings the word quickly spread to the U.S. Continuing the fight against leukemia, the team at DKMS Americas strives to save lives by recruiting as many bone marrow donors as possible. Finding an exact match for a patient is just as good as giving them a second chance at survival. The organization gives leukemia patients the faith to fight a battle that can be won.

"We give patients hope and we give them activism. You're not alone and the community does want to help, the donor drives bring everyone together. It's such a beautiful thing to find a match and it's really a gift to them." She proudly remarked, "It's so empowering for a young person to be able to do something that can save a life and for those who get involved, a person is alive because of the kindness of another human being - for the love of a stranger."

Harf's talent and smart fashion sense made her a staple in the fashion industry. Her love of glamour brought her into the doors of top fashion companies such as Louis Vuitton and Hugo Boss. Rihanna is among the list of celebrities who grew close to Harf as she left a lasting impression on the fashion industry. Despite her many talents, Harf realized that her heart is rooted in the organization. On that note, she brought celebrity faces into the forefront of the campaign, which brought DKMS Americas into the spotlight and the media, with millions of contributors, young and old, climbing on board. "For me to get celebrities to work with us it goes so far and it's direct. Rihanna attended one of the donor drives over the weekend and 4,000 people registered. We just recently went to 50 cent's office to swab and 200,000 people viewed the PSA."

Katharina Harf, Halle Berry and Bernd Beetz strike a red carpet pose at the annual fundraising Gala.

Every year DKMS holds a fundraising gala, which is able to type 22,000 donors. The proceeds from the gala go towards typing the donors and towards the costs of DNA tests, making the funds almost completely transparent. Coty, Inc. is a huge funder of the gala and it makes the hard work definitely worthwhile. Last year, the gala raised $2 million for the cause. "I'm very exposed to the world of fashion, I love beautiful clothes, and I found a way to combine it. You get close to the people that you think you never ever would have met. All of the sudden you become their therapist and they tell you their stories." She further exclaimed, "It's people from all different walks of life, all different classes and ethnicities, you connect with people on another level and that's what I really love."

Whether or not you believe in miracles, they can happen. A pair of twins that live in Los Angeles were in dire need of a donor and Harf was on a mission to find a match. After recruiting thousands of donors in California for them, Harf soon learned that a female donor in Germany was the right match. The coincidence was indescribable, especially after she realized that she knew the family of the patient. Finding a genetic twin is not as easy as it sounds. Between luck and destiny, Harf has touched so many people with the beauty of the organization and with a piece of her heart.

In Germany, DKMS recruits 300,000 donors per year and in the U.S. she hopes to achieve 100,000 donors. By getting more awareness, more celebrities on board and spreading the word she is sure that she can reach her goal. Overall, the organization has pulled in 2.5 million donors and more than 23,000 of them have donated to patients in need. "My mom is still my inspiration. It made me a much happier person to realize that although no one can ever bring her back, I can help other families and other daughters who are losing their mothers." She remarked, "I've made this my life mission, I can give families that hope and I'm not going to stop."

For more information go to www.GetSwabbed.org.

Katharina Harf with young leukemia patient, Shannon Taverez, one of the stars of "The Lion King" on Broadway. Editor's Note: Unfortunately, Shannon lost her battle and passed away on November 1, 2010.