By JILL MCNEAL
6 News Anchor/Reporter
OLIVER SPRINGS (WATE) - It took five years and 4,500 miles, but a little girl from Oliver Springs finally got to meet the man who donated his bone marrow to save her life.
Addison Grace was just seven months old when she was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder. Doctors said a bone marrow transplant was her only chance.
"Without the bone marrow, maybe she would live to be one, one-and-a-half, two," explained her mother, Jody.
Amazingly, there was a perfect match waiting for her on the other side of the world. A German, Martin Mai, 21, had joined the registry with a simple cheek swab when he was 18.
"I said yes. It's not a question. I want to do that. Of course I want to help people," Martin said.
Doctors in Germany harvested his bone marrow during a two-day hospital stay.
"I had no pain. It felt a bit like a bruise, but that was all. I left the hospital on Friday morning and Friday evening I played soccer again," Martin said.
The bone marrow was flown to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital in Nashville and the transplant was a success.
Addison and Martin weren't allowed to contact each other for two years, until March 2009.
Jody called Martin on his birthday. They exchanged letters and pictures, but wanted to meet in person.
That finally happened this weekend, thanks to an anonymous benefactor in Germany who read their story in a book about bone marrow donation and paid for Martin's trip to America.
"I've been here for three days now. It just feels like family. It's so great to be here," Martin said.
"He's given me my daughter," Jody said. "There's just not words enough to thank him. There's not enough I can do to repay him for what he gave me."
You can find out how to join the bone marrow donor registry and possibly have the chance to save a life at http://marrow.org/Home.aspx
"I've been here for three days now. It just feels like family. It's so great to be here," Martin said, with Addison on his lap.
