Woman saves Chicago man's life with stem cell transplant, and she says he saved her life too
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Stem cell donations save lives—and they are often a selfless act to help a stranger.
But one case involving a Chicago man with leukemia shows it can help the donor too—in profound ways.
Cameras were rolling as Marquis Williams met and embraced Renee Smith—the woman who saved his life.
"All I could do was give her a hug, cry, and say thank you," Williams said.
Williams was diagnosed with leukemia in 2017.
"The first thing I thought of was, how much time do I have left?" Williams said. "And that is not the most beautiful thought to have."
Williams went through several treatments, but the cancer came back—and doctors said he needed a stem cell transplant.
He found Smith through a stem cell registry. She lives near Atlanta.
"Growing up, I have always wanted to do something to help somebody. I never had the, like, money to go out there and do it," Smith said. "So when the opportunity came around—they said, 'Hey, you could help save a life'—I jumped on it."
Smith registered to be a stem cell donor in 2014.
"When I did it, I thought that I would never be a match," she said.
Williams had the transplant in 2019. About a year later, he started talking to Smith.
"We met by Zoom. My parents were with me. My wife was with me," said Williams. "It was just tears, and just making plans to finally meet each other."
While Williams had gotten a new lease on life, Smith was going through tough times of her own.
"Life kept pushing me back, pushing me back, pushing me back—and I was ready to give up," Smith said as she broke down. "I was ready to give up, because a part of me was lost. A part of me was gone."
But she said talking to Williams gave her strength.
"Just talking to him, being able to hear his story, being able to hear how hard he fought," said Smith. "If this man that I don't even know can fight so hard, why can't I?"
In fact, Smith said Williams actually saved her life too.
"He helped me in so many ways. He wouldn't allow me to give up. He didn't know me," Smith said. "I saved his life, but he saved mine."
And Smith told Williams as much.
"It was really hard for me to take that in," Williams said. "But once it sank in, I said, you know what? There was a purpose to this. This was done for a reason."
Smith and Williams met in person this past summer in Atlanta, at a gala for the stem cell registry named Gift of Life. The event brought the two together for a connection has proved to be life-changing for both of them.
"If I could sum it up in one word, I would say it would be magical—definitely magical," said Williams.
"I tell people, he's not my blood brother, but he's my stem cell brother," Smith added.
Williams had the stem cell transplant at UChicago Medicine.
Smith is now trying to plan a trip to Chicago to spend some time with him.