Age 7 Girl with Leukemia Meets Stranger Who Saved Her Life
We all have heroes we look up to. They may inspire us to do greater things, or they may be fictional characters that remind us to be courageous.
They may be the hero who will save your life.
Major League Baseball player Mike Aviles’ 4-year-old daughter, Adriana, was diagnosed with leukemia the day before Mother’s Day, 2015, in her hometown of Cleveland, Ohio.
She received intense treatment including a bone marrow transplant, and there soon was no cancer found in her body.
Three years later, Adriana awaited the chance to finally meet the man who had saved her life, 29-year-old Mike Laureano.
As soon as she saw Laureano’s car pull up to her home, Adriana started to break down. Her tears showed how truly grateful she was for his donation.
“Addy might only be 7 years old, but her heart and mind are wise — she knows how incredible this gift of life was,” Adriana’s mom, Jessy Aviles, said.
When she opened the door to meet her donor, Adriana immediately gave him a hug, crying as she thanked him for saving her life.
Laureano decided to become a donor after a drive at his university encouraged him to join Be The Match’s donor list. He did it not for the attention, but to help others.
“I signed up because it was the right thing to do,” Laureano said. “I was a healthy individual living my life, so if I could help allow someone else to do the same then I, as a human being, have an obligation to do so.”
Be The Match allows donors to connect with the people they have helped a year after the donation is made.
The Aviles family decided that Mother’s Day was the perfect time to meet Adriana’s donor.
“The warmth I felt in my heart after receiving a message from Jessy, Addy’s mum was overwhelming — I was overflowing with joy and happiness to be able to finally meet their amazing family,” Laureano said.
Adriana and her twin sister, Mia, both thanked Laureano and gave him many gratitude-filled hugs.
“We have a bond with him that will last forever. Words will never explain my gratitude for Mike,” Mike Aviles said. “I wish I could hand him my heart and let him feel it. Only then would he know what he has done for my family.
“It is beyond anything a word could describe, it is a feeling.”
While Laureano is humble and didn’t do this to become a hero, Adriana and her family will always remember him as the young man who saved her life.
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