When Brooklynite Elijah John was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia at 14, he immediately underwent six rounds of chemotherapy. Despite the aggressive treatment over the course of several months, his rare blood cancer persisted.
Doctors informed the teen and his family that his best chance of survival would be a bone marrow transplant if they could find the appropriate match.
Enter Nicholas Miranda-Newberry. In 2016, at the age of 18, the Chicago native signed up to be a donor with DKMS, a nonprofit dedicated to fighting blood cancer and blood disorders, after seeing an advertisement for the group on Facebook.
Five years after he initially did a simple cheek swab to become a donor, DKMS contacted him about being a match for a teen in Brooklyn.
“I felt shocked, I had forgotten I signed up,” Miranda-Newberry said. “But I felt happy that I had the chance to save a person’s life.”
In 2021, Miranda-Newberry donated his bone marrow, ultimately giving John a second chance at life.
Three years later and cancer-free, 18-year-old John finally met his life-saving hero face to face for the first time. On Aug. 24, the two men emotionally embraced atop Manhattan’s Pier 57’s rooftop park, giving John the chance to express his gratitude for the life-saving gift.
“It finally feels good to meet my hero,” John said of the meeting. “I beat cancer thanks to Nicholas. Not all heroes wear capes, but Nicholas deserves one. I don’t know how to thank him, to show how grateful I am for what he did for me.”
Miranda-Newberry said it was nice to put a face to the name and see that he’s doing so well, adding “I’m glad I could help.”
The two men said they are now bonded for life and encouraged others to become a donor through DKMS because “you have the chance to save someone’s life.”
“You don’t know who is out there who needs your help,” said Miranda-Newberry. “You can be anyone’s hero if you want to be.”
To find out more on becoming a bone marrow or stem cell donor, visit DKMS’ website.