A Special Holiday Story

Gift of Life Spans Atlantic Ocean

This holiday season, shoppers will be busy combing through the stores searching for the perfect gift for their loved ones. When Julio Garcia is out shopping, he knows he has already given a special gift you cannot buy from the store and did not cost much, but is priceless to the recipient. Last year, Julio gave the most precious gift of all when he gave the gift of life to someone he didn't even know. He donated his marrow to save the life of a man suffering from leukemia.

"I was given a unique opportunity to save someone's life and give him hope. I thought about what it would be like to go through a battle with leukemia like my recipient, and to have someone donate marrow to try to save your life. I knew that this was my recipient's only chance for a cure and survival, and I felt compelled to give him that chance," Julio said.

" I knew that I would have to go through some inconvenience and discomfort to donate the marrow, but I felt that this didn't compare to the potential impact that my donation could have for the recipient and his family."

Julio is one of the thousands of individuals on the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) Registry committed to giving the most precious gift of all. Julio will get to see for himself the impact of his lifesaving gift when he meets his recipient, who lives in Germany, later this month. He is traveling across the Atlantic Ocean to Leipzig, Germany to meet his recipient December 22 at the Christmas gala hosted by famous tenor Jose Carreras and the Jose Carreras International Leukemia Foundation.

"I look forward to meeting him in December. By meeting him, I'll be able to complete the story of my marrow donation. I'll have pictures that I can show my son when he's old enough, and it will allow me to put the entire experience into perspective and cherish it even more for the rest of my life.

"I feel very happy for my recipient. I am told that he is fine now and has gone back to work, and I hope that he enjoys his retirement and his family for many years to come. I am also pleased that he will serve as a living example of how this miraculous procedure can save lives, and how people can be heroes just by registering and donating marrow. I'm sure that he must feel lucky to be alive, and I hope that he is planning to live the rest of his life to the fullest and to have a positive impact on others and the world around him," Julio said.