Cody Grilliot was on the Gift of Life Marrow Registry for nearly seven years before he was called in 2020 as a match for a child who desperately needed a bone marrow transplant. Cody joined the registry while an undergraduate at Ohio University in 2014 during a recruitment drive hosted by Gift of Life partner Hillel International. 

“I was extremely excited to donate, and also anxious as well, not knowing if the donation would be successful, especially as we were navigating the COVID pandemic,” said Cody, 27, a utility lineman and former Ohio University football linebacker. The transplant was completed in May 2020, and Cody wondered for more than a year how his young recipient was doing. 

While 80 percent of volunteers donate blood stem cells – a simpler and less intrusive option – Grilliot is among the 20 percent who give bone marrow. These donations typically go to pediatric patients with the power to cure diseases. 

Donors and recipients must remain anonymous for the first year after transplant, but in late 2021, Cody was invited to meet the person whose life he saved during a Nashville Predators versus Arizona Coyotes hockey game.  

On November 13, Cody was finally introduced to Randall White, now 13 years old, during the first break in the game. 

Randall was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome, a form of blood cancer, in early 2020 after suffering from extreme fatigue and illness. He urgently needed a marrow transplant to survive, and fortunately, Cody was already in the registry and committed to being a donor. 

“We are very excited to meet Cody,” said Randall’s mother, Lindsay White, a resident of Shreveport, La. “His courage and empathy for someone else is just amazing.” 

Cody and Randall enjoyed the game together and plan to stay in touch. Randall wants to become a doctor specializing in oncology, so he can help others get the second chance at life he received. 

Gift of Life thanks our partners the Nashville Predators for their help in spreading the word about the need for volunteer blood stem cell and bone marrow donors, and the incredible impact they have on the lives of those battling life-threatening diseases.