North Texas teen meets California bone marrow donor who saved his life
DALLAS - 17-year-old Chi-Heng Chan and his family finally got the chance to meet the woman who literally saved his life.
The happy occasion took place at Children's Health Dallas, where Chan was once a very sick patient.
"Can I give you a hug?" Chan asked Sarah Yang.
"Of course, I'm so glad you're feeling better," she replied.
When Chan was just 13 years old he suddenly began feeling extremely fatigued.
He was diagnosed with AML, a type of leukemia of the blood and bone marrow with excess immature white blood cells.
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After a year of chemotherapy, the cancer came back.
Chan needed a bone marrow transplant.
Sarah Yang would become the answer to his prayers.
"It's a powerful thing to save somebody's life, which is what she did because she was willing to take the time out and donate her bone marrow," said Dr. Victor Aquino, a pedicatric oncologist at Children's Health.
Yang, who is 28, had registered with Be The Match to be a bone marrow donor when she was in college.
Yang was living in California in 2020, in the midst of a pandemic, when she got the call.
Yang, who works as a scientist at a cancer diagnostic startup, didn't hesitate.
"You do these small things and hope it will make a difference in the future, and it was incredible that it did actually make a difference," she said.
Two years later, Yang got a letter from Chan's mom asking if they could meet.
Again, Yang said yes.
"It was amazing getting to meet the person who helped me basically create a new life. Oh my gosh," said Chan.
Chan is now cancer-free. He just finished 11th grade at Collin College with a 4.0 GPA.
With a strengthened immune system, Chan says he's looking forward to summer vacation.
"The plan is to enjoy it. Go outside and explore," he said.
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Chan is taking his SAT on Saturday.
He told FOX 4 that all the news cameras in his face on Friday were actually a nice distraction.
Chan and Yang got to have lunch on Friday afternoon before she flew back to San Francisco.
They plan to stay in touch.