Area man meets girl he helped save
Published: November 29, 2006
Greg Lyons waited nine years for the opportunity to donate bone marrow.
The Perryopolis man had to wait an additional year to finally meet the little girl whose life his donation helped save.
That meeting finally took place earlier this fall in the Charlotte, Mich., home of Alissa Christie.
Lyons first volunteered to donate bone marrow while giving blood for a Monessen boy in need.
But nine years passed and Lyons admittedly forgot that he was on the donor list - until he got a call in May 2005.
A National Blood Bank of Pittsburgh official called Lyons, informing him he was a perfect one-in-seven-million match for a 7-year-old girl with borderline Leukemia.
For the next seven weeks, the Perryopolis resident went through a series of periodic tests - including several blood tests as well as a lung x-ray - to determine whether he was fit to donate.
On July 7, 2005, Lyons was checked in to West Penn Hospital, where the bone marrow was taken. Because a complete stem of bone marrow was needed, doctors went through Lyons legs and lower spine. One half liter of bone marrow was taken during the two-hour operation.
Lyons was released from the hospital on the same day his bone marrow was harvested.
The bone marrow was then immediately given to the girl.
About a week prior, doctors had removed cancerous blood cells from the little girl to prepare her for the new bone marrow.
Following the operation, Lyons received updates on the little girl’s condition.
But the law prevented him from learning her identity for a year.
In August, Lyons received a telephone call identifying the little girl.
He called her mother, Monica Christie, who gave him permission to meet the girl.
“Her mother cried on the telephone when I called her,” Lyons said. “She was teary eyed all weekend.”
Alissa was playing in the family’s back yard when he called and the girl’s mother put her on the telephone to talk with Lyons.
Late last month, Lyons made the 7-hour drive to Michigan to meet Alissa, who is now 8 years old.
He made the trip by himself so he could mentally prepare for the meeting.
He spent much of two days with Alissa, her parents and nine-year-old sister, Nicole.
“We had a great weekend,” Lyons said. “It was wonderful feeling when I got to touch her hand and know she’s cured and my bone marrow cured her.”
Lyons said he plans to stay in touch with the family.
“One chapter ended and another chapter began,” said Lyons.
Lyons - who has daughters Kady Jo, 21, and Chelsea Ann, 19, and granddaughters Rachel and Charley - said Alissa called him “Gregory” throughout the weekend.
They went to a pumpkin patch, a haunted maze and later carved pumpkins at the Christies’ home.
“She’s a sweet little girl,” Lyons said. “She never cried through all that she had to go through.”
Lyons said, given the opportunity, he would donate bone marrow again.
“One signature and one swab test can save someone’s life,” Lyons said.
Lyons stressed that it is important for the public to seriously consider becoming a donor.
“Material wealth isn’t as rewarding as knowing two people can be brought together to give one life,” Lyons said.
If you enjoyed this good news Subscribe to Good News Blog
Share this
To share this simply copy and paste one of the below URL's: