New Jersey mother meets bone marrow donor who saved her life
NEW JERSEY (PIX11) – A cancer survivor and a mother from New Jersey met her bone marrow donor years after she received what she calls a ‘second chance’ to live.
In 2008, Lisa Mottesi, a nurse and a mother of three, was ill for three weeks before she went to the doctor.
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“I hadn’t had my blood drawn in a couple of years, so she drew blood,” she said.
The next day, Mottesi got a call saying she had a rare type of leukemia.
“Even if I had a year of chemotherapy, I would relapse, and I wouldn’t make it,” she said.
A bone marrow transplant was needed, but none of her family members was a match, so she connected with the NMDP, an organization focused on matching bone marrow donors and recipients, and three months later.
“I got a call said that I was a match for somebody that needed me,” Eric Burger said.
He was at a blood drive, where people were offered the opportunity to sign up for the registry, and he accepted.
“It was a matter of somebody needs help, so I’m going to obviously help them,” Burger said.
NMDP has a global registry with over 41 million potential matches, and they facilitated the meeting between Eric and Lisa this evening.
“The emotions I feel, the gratitude I feel, it’s beyond words just is,” added Mottesi.
If you are interested in becoming a donor, visit Donate Marrow or Blood Stem Cells | Be The Match.
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