An emotional meeting of a 12-year old bone marrow recipient and his heroic donor marked by tears of joy took place during the Gift of Life Marrow Registry Campus Ambassador Program Symposium banquet on August 9, 2016 at the Boca Raton (FL) Marriott at Boca Center.

Marrow recipient Airius Blaser was only three-and-a-half weeks old when he was diagnosed with Chronic Granulomatous Disease (CGD), a hereditary condition that causes a malfunction in the immune system, leaving the sufferer vulnerable to chronic infections. Blaser’s childhood was spent in and out of hospitals – sometimes on life support – while undergoing chemotherapy, multiple surgeries and the partial loss of a lung. He wasn’t able to attend school outside the home, or play outdoors, for fear of infection. His life expectancy was only 25 years.

CGD is responsive to treatment through bone marrow transplantation, so a worldwide search was initiated to find a compatible donor for the little boy who only wanted “to be a normal kid.” A match was eventually found in the Gift of Life registry.

Donor Rachel Amar, a 26-year-old CPA from New York, joined the registry in 2009 while studying abroad in Israel. When she received the call that she was a match for Blaser, she didn’t hesitate. In September 2014, Amar donated bone marrow through a short surgical procedure. After the transplant, Blaser began to recover, yet he still needed a boost for the transplant to really take hold. Amar went back to the donation center in December 2014 and this time donated peripheral blood stem cells (PBSCs), a process similar to donating plasma. Blaser’s recovery began in earnest, and he is now able to go outdoors and ride his bicycle and go to school with his siblings.

For the first year after the transplant, donors and recipients may not meet or learn each other’s identities, so it was with great excitement that the Blaser family came to Florida from their home in Illinois to meet Airius’ donor for the first time.

More than 130 college students from 88 campuses were in attendance to witness the dramatic introduction. These students will run donor recruitment drives across the United States during the 2016-17 academic year.

Another Gift of Life marrow donor, Sam Morovati, had the honor of introducing the pair on stage. Blaser, who was accompanied by his grandparents and three siblings, presented Amar with a heart-shaped sculpture he made for her, and the entire family embraced her warmly.

“Around two years ago I got the call from Gift of Life telling me that I was a match. I gave bone marrow and later went through the stem cell procedure,” said Amar. “I didn’t think it was such a big deal at first, but after meeting him I realized, wow, this is such a huge thing! A little thing like that [cheek swab to join the registry] could save someone’s life. I saved a little boy’s life.”

Airius lives in Illinois with his grandparents and siblings. He enjoys video games and bicycling, and is looking forward to the new school year.