US Army Veteran Donates Bone Marrow To Save Young Girl's Life

Jul 30, 2019 by apost team

A US Army veteran has gone above and beyond the call of duty.

Mike Laureano served eight years in the Army National Guard, including a lengthy stint in Iraq. After returning home from his post, Laureano was attending classes at the University of Wilmington when he signed up to be a part of the Be the Match program.

This program matches patients with potential bone marrow donors. As the largest database of its kind, Be the Match has saved a countless number of lives simply by placing sufferers of illnesses such as leukemia and lymphoma with compatible donors. This invaluable program is run through the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP).

Laureano signed up for the program with a simple swipe of his cheek gathering all of his genetic material. While he hoped that he would be matched with somebody, he also knew that his own mother had been on the list 25 years without ever matching with anybody.

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It was less than one year before Laureano got the call about being a potential match for a little girl with leukemia. When Laureano learned that the girl was only four or five years old, he knew that he would do what it took to help save her life. With a niece the same age, the case became extremely relevant to Laureano.

A few months later, Laureano donated his life-saving bone marrow to Adriana Aviles. Although donors and recipients are banned from contacting each other for at least one year after the medical procedure, Adriana's mother reached out to Laureano as soon as it was allowed.

Even though Adriana is still a young child, she completely understood that Laureano had saved her life. Despite living 2,000 miles away, the two were able to meet in a touching moment.

Now you can see the pictures from the moment that Laureano was able to embrace sweet little Adriana. It is hard not to get choked up when you see these meaningful photos.

After you have checked out the pictures, be sure to spread the love to everyone you know. Not only does Laureano deserve to be celebrated for his selflessness, but spreading this story will also help to raise awareness about the important Be the Match program.