After an international search of the bone marrow registry, transplant recipient Melissa “Missy” Scheinberg found her lifesaving donor mere miles away from where she lived. On Sunday, October 30, 2016, the two were introduced for the first time at the Gift of Life Marrow Registry Steps for Life 5K held at Battery Park in New York City.

Astoria, N.Y. resident David Allen, 30, joined the Gift of Life registry in December 2012 while on an educational trip to Israel for Birthright and donated his peripheral blood stems cells in May 2015.

“When I received the call that I was a match, I was astounded and speechless,” said David. “I never questioned though about going through the procedure.”

Missy Scheinberg, 24, of Brooklyn, N.Y., was diagnosed with a rare T-cell lymphoma in 2015 and no one in her family was a match, so she turned to the Gift of Life donor registry for help.

“I was devastated when I learned my sisters were not matches, but at the same time incredibly thankful that we found a healthy match to donate,” said Missy. “I’m forever grateful to David, he nearly single-handedly saved my life!”

Due to the donor program’s privacy policy, neither party could share their identities until a year after the procedure. They were introduced by Robin, Evan and Ezra Fineman. Ezra is a transplant recipient whose search and fundraising efforts resulted in thousands of new donors joining the registry, including David.  Missy is one of 38 lifesaving transplants that have been facilitated because of Ezra.

The introduction was emotional, with Missy’s parents and sisters happy for the opportunity to express their gratitude to David for saving her life. Missy’s father, Ron, spoke for their family, saying, “We had so much support – from family, friends, and from the entire team at Weill-Cornell Medicine. The miracle of science is something within our control, and it’s why we want to support this fabulous organization, Gift of Life.”

David also addressed the crowd, saying “Meeting my recipient for the first time feels surreal! She is the one who deserves all the credit for her courage and strength. ”

After being introduced, the two led the start of the 5K, along with grand marshals Steve and Wendy Siegel and CBRE serving as the Gold Sponsor.

“I want to reinforce how seamless the entire donation process is and how little of an impact it is in your life, yet how critical it is to someone else’s,” said David. “It’s an amazing opportunity to be entered into the raffle of being chosen to give the gift of life.”

Video of the opening ceremonies, including Missy and David’s introduction: