‘She saved my life’: Pilot tracks down stranger who saved his life, races through airport | Trending

Allie Reimold boarded United Airlines Flight 2223 in Houston, unaware of the heartwarming encounter awaiting her. It had been four years since her last in-person meeting with Capt. David Whitson, a commercial airline pilot whose life she had saved eight years ago through a stem cell donation. The woman donated stem cells to save a pilot’s life earlier.(Representative/Pexel) In December 2016, on the darkest day of the year, Allie had given David a gift that would forever connect them. At the time, David was battling acute myeloid leukaemia, a rare and aggressive blood cancer. His condition was dire, and even his brother’s blood wasn’t a suitable match for a transplant. Years earlier, Allie had joined the National Marrow Donor Programme swabbing her cheek during a college fundraiser. She was only 18 at the time and studying behavioural sciences. When she was notified that her stem cells matched a stranger in need, she didn’t hesitate, reported CNN. “I really wanted to be able to help someone in this type of way,” Allie recalled, citing her interest in medicine and public health as motivations. A race against time to find a matchDavid’s health began deteriorating in August 2016 when flu-like symptoms escalated into a fever and severe pain on one side of his body. A series of tests led to a grim diagnosis: acute myeloid leukaemia. The disease, a fast-progressing cancer of the blood and bone marrow, is particularly lethal. Statics from Yale Medicine show that only 29.5% of patients live for at least five years after diagnosis. For David, the prognosis was worse due to a genetic mutation associated with his cancer. After three rounds of chemotherapy failed, his hopes of survival hinged on finding a donor match through international and national regries. Stem cell donors are matched based on human leukocyte antigens, not blood type, which made finding a match even more challenging. Fortunately, Allie’s regration four years earlier meant she was in the database when David needed help. She underwent a nonsurgical procedure called apheresis at the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Centre, where her stem cells were extracted and then infused into David’s arm at Baylor University Medical Centre in Dallas. Also read: Israel’s Haifa Airport takes off again after months-long war closure “Stem cells are like seeds, and they went into my bone and planted, and they grew her blood,” David explained. The procedure not only saved his life but also transformed his blood type from Type B-positive to Type O-negative. David’s recovery was slow but steady. After 18 months, he regained his strength and returned to flying for United Airlines. Meanwhile, Allie continued her education, eventually earning a Ph.D. and becoming a public health researcher focused on cancer prevention at the University of California, Davis. In March 2018, the donor program facilitated their first introduction. August of that year, they met in person at a Baylor Medical Center event, where they shared their story with patients and staff. “It’s still overwhelming to me that a stranger would take the time to save my life,” David said. “It just gave me hope.” Since then, David and Allie have stayed in touch, marking the anniversary of his transplant each year. David also extended his United Airlines travel benefits to Allie, allowing her to fly like a member of his family as a token of his gratitude. “She saved my life,” David explained. “It’s the least that I could do.” An airport surpriseDavid occasionally surprises Allie at airports when he notices she’s travelling through his notifications. Previous encounter was one such instance. After piloting a flight to Houston, he learnt Allie was boarding a near flight. Despite being on the opposite side of the airport, he rushed to the gate to see her. Now 30, Allie emphasises the importance of preventive health care in her work. She continues to advocate for stem cell donation and even donated again in 2018 to another recipient.