It's been one year since the bone marrow donated by a complete (and still unknown to us) stranger in Italy was collected, flown by medical courier to Atlanta, hung on an IV pole, and transplanted into our kid to save his life.
We hope that bone marrow, which replaced his original cancer-ridden bone marrow, changed his blood type, and still lives inside him today, will always be a part of him, cranking out healthy blood cells that will fight off any threats that invade his system or emerge from within it.
But one thing is clear: This beautiful boy—this son, brother, swimmer, animal advocate, reader, math problem solver, and Minecraft enthusiast—owes the past year he got to remain alive to the selflessness, heroism, and magnanimity of one woman in Italy.
So this day, we celebrate Phin, but we really celebrate her, and every single person who joined the bone marrow registry to save the lives of people like this wild, wonderful kid of ours.
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