The Stranger Who Saved My Life: My Leukemia Journey, Bone Marrow Transplant, and Second Chance at Life

Every cup of coffee has a story. This is the story behind Sonoran Roast Coffee And Tea — a leukemia diagnosis, a stranger named Pierre, and the second chance that changed my life forever.

Before Leukemia Entered My Life

Before I became a leukemia patient, I was helping another family fight the disease.

A close family friend’s son, Dallas, had been diagnosed with leukemia. My family and I helped with fundraisers, awareness events, and anything else we could do to support Dallas and his family.

I even purchased a laptop computer for Dallas so he could stay connected while spending time in the hospital.

Watching a child battle leukemia was heartbreaking. I never imagined that only a short time later, my own family would be fighting the same disease.

The Phone Call That Changed Everything

In early May of 2010, I began experiencing symptoms I could not explain. I had high fevers and uncontrollable bleeding.

I went to see my primary care physician, Dr. Joseph Au, who ordered blood work.

The next morning, Dr. Au called me urgently and told me to go directly to the emergency room at Long Beach Memorial Hospital. He said there were serious issues with my blood test results and that he would send everything directly to the hospital.

I told my wife Francesca that I would drive myself and call her after I spoke with the emergency room doctor.

Francesca immediately said, “No way.”

She drove me herself.

That was the beginning of our leukemia journey.

Guardian Angels

At Long Beach Memorial Hospital, it was confirmed that I had leukemia.

Dr. Joseph Au became my first guardian angel because he acted quickly and got me to the hospital.

Late that night, in a dark shared hospital room, I met Dr. Jonathan Blitzer. He became guardian angel number two.

When my diagnosis was confirmed, Francesca and I cried. Dr. Blitzer stayed with us for over an hour, answering questions and helping us process the news.

He never seemed rushed. He never had one foot out the door. He was there for us medically, mentally, and emotionally.

As a technical person, I needed to understand what was happening. Dr. Blitzer taught me how to read my blood test results, how blood cells mature, and what my numbers meant.

He was deeply involved in my care and personally reviewed my bone marrow biopsy samples under the microscope.

The Fight Begins

The next day, I had my first bone marrow biopsy. It was one of the most painful procedures I have ever experienced.

At first, I was diagnosed with APL, a unique form of leukemia. Later, my diagnosis changed to AML because of a chromosomal abnormality.

I always joked that if I was going to have a mutation, why couldn’t it give me a superpower like flying? Instead, I got blood cancer.

The chemotherapy was brutal. My hair fell out quickly, and my brother-in-law, who is quite bald himself, enjoyed shaving the rest of it off.

The first round of chemotherapy did not work. Francesca and I cried again, and once again, Dr. Blitzer stayed with us.

After the second round of chemotherapy, I achieved remission and was released from the hospital on Father’s Day in 2010.

Dallas

In July 2010, Dallas lost his battle with leukemia.

He could not get into remission and passed away.

His death devastated me. I helped his family find a casket, attended the viewings, funeral, and remembrances. It was very hard.

The survivor guilt was real.

Dallas reminded me that leukemia was a very serious disease. I had to do everything I could to defeat the cancer beast — if anything, for Dallas.

Finding City Of Hope

Long Beach Memorial did not perform bone marrow transplants, so I needed to find a transplant center.

We considered several places, including centers in Seattle, Texas, UCLA, and City of Hope.

City of Hope in Duarte, California became the right choice. It was close to family, and Francesca would have the support of her loving Italian family.

At first, my insurance denied City of Hope. Then a representative at Long Beach Memorial found a way to get it approved.

That led me to another guardian angel: Dr. Margaret O’Donnell.

At first, Francesca and I did not like her. She was direct and told us I had only about a 15% chance of long-term survival if I lived through the transplant.

Over time, we came to love her. Her honesty, experience, and care helped guide us through the most dangerous part of the journey.

The Search For A Donor

City of Hope performed a detailed genetic analysis to find the best possible donor match.

Every week, the transplant team reviewed my genetics and compared them against the worldwide donor registry.

The goal was to match important genetic markers called HLA markers. These markers help determine whether the body will accept the transplant and reduce the risk of graft-versus-host disease.

A donor was found, but he did not pass the medical review.

Then a second, better match was found.

His name was Pierre.

Pierre and I were a 12 out of 12 match. That amazed me. Two people from different parts of the world were genetically matched closely enough that his cells could save my life.

Why Pierre Was In The Registry

Pierre was in the donor registry because one of his European handball teammates had been diagnosed with leukemia.

He registered hoping to help his teammate. He was not a match for him, but he stayed in the registry.

Then, on his birthday in June 2010, Pierre was told he was a match for someone else in the world.

That someone was me.

When asked if he would donate, he immediately said yes.

He was 27 years old and willing to help a stranger live.

December 2010

I was admitted to City of Hope on 12/10/2010.

The transplant process required my bone marrow to be destroyed as much as possible so every leukemia cell could be eradicated.

This required very strong chemotherapy and full-body radiation.

Before the first radiation treatment, I felt strong and ready. After the first dose, my energy was completely drained.

I endured 11 sessions of full-body radiation.

Throughout all of it, Francesca was by my side.

She brought her computer and printer to the hospital so she could keep our business running. She slept in an uncomfortable chair wearing gloves and a mask.

From the first emergency room visit through the transplant, Francesca never left me.

She is the real definition of a wife. Another guardian angel in my life.

I could not have lived without her. To this day, I cannot live without her.

My Second Birthday

On 12/16/2010, Pierre went to the donation center in Germany, about two hours away from him.

He was given medication to increase the number of stem cells in his blood. Then an apheresis machine filtered the stem cells from his blood.

Those stem cells were placed into bags and flown to California for my transplant.

They were not frozen or chilled. They were living stem cells sent across the world to save my life.

When the nurses at City of Hope received them, they sang Happy Birthday to me.

The stem cells were connected to my IV. No forced pumping. No complicated machine. Just gravity bringing those life-giving cells into my body.

Those cells knew where to go. They traveled to my bone marrow, where they would hopefully graft and begin growing new marrow.

Pierre’s cells were now inside me.

With the cells came a card and a small keychain with a stuffed pig. All identifying information was removed, but the note wished me a happy birthday and the best of luck with my transplant.

Going Home

On the 28th day after my transplant, I was allowed to go home.

The stem cells grafted beautifully.

Later bone marrow biopsies showed that approximately 98% of the bone marrow in my body came from Pierre’s cells.

Pierre jokes that I should not do anything bad where I bleed because it could be traced back to him.

Meeting Pierre

Years later, my family surprised me.

I thought I was going to my oldest grandchild Mayson’s birthday party at Krystin and Chris’s home in Downey, California.

Everything looked normal. Cars were parked outside, just like any Italian family birthday party.

I walked through the house carrying birthday packages and went into the backyard.

There were people everywhere — aunts, uncles, my mother, my sister, family, and friends. A photographer I did not know was taking pictures.

Then I saw Pierre.

He was just standing there.

My first words were, “What are you doing here?”

I pushed through the crowd and gave him a massive hug.

Francesca had helped arrange the surprise. Pierre had contacted her because he wanted to meet me. With help from Krystin, Chris, Robert, Nunzio, and others, they made it happen.

The Long Beach Press-Telegram covered our meeting and helped document one of the most emotional moments of my life.

A Stranger Became Family

Pierre and I are now best friends.

He is married to the beautiful Moni, and they have an amazing son named Joshua.

Joshua is my godson.

We see Pierre, Moni, and Joshua every year. Sometimes we go there, and sometimes they come here.

Their friends and family are now ours.

A beautiful friendship was created through a life-giving act.

My Mindset During Treatment

During treatment and recovery, my mindset was to treat leukemia like I had the flu.

I asked the doctors to do everything they could to cure me. I would deal with the side effects.

I walked and worked to do everything I could to recover.

Many times, I walked hospital halls dragging my IV pole, trying to keep my body as strong as possible.

I saw others who were scared, alone, or without the same support system I had. Some struggled through chemotherapy, radiation, showers, and recovery without a spouse or family there every day.

I did not have that. I had guardian angels, family, and especially Francesca helping me recover and thrive.

Why Sonoran Roast Exists

Earlier this year, I had the idea to start an online company and give back by donating part of the proceeds.

Shopify made that possible, and I purchased a base coffee and tea store from Site To Buy. Now I am wrapping my story and mission around it.

There was no complicated reason for coffee and tea other than popularity and the opportunity to build something meaningful.

The Southwest theme comes from my love of the desert, from childhood Jeep club events to taking my kids camping and riding motorcycles in the desert.

I created Sonoran Roast Coffee And Tea to show people that you can survive and thrive after a cancer diagnosis.

My hope is that Sonoran Roast grows into a vehicle to spread the word about becoming a donor and eventually helps generate money to support research to cure leukemia and other blood cancers.

Please Consider Becoming A Donor

If Pierre had not registered as a donor, I would not be here today.

I would not have met my 11 grandchildren. I would not have built Sonoran Roast Coffee And Tea. I would not be writing these words.

Please consider learning more about becoming a donor through Be The Match.

Someone, somewhere, may be waiting for the same gift that saved my life.

Every Day Is A Gift

As of today, it has been more than 16 years since my diagnosis, and this December will mark 16 years since my transplant.

Every day is a gift that I get to spend with my beautiful and loving wife, our 11 grandchildren, and our family.

Thank you to every doctor, nurse, caregiver, donor, friend, and family member who helped bring hope into our lives.

Most importantly, thank you, Pierre.

Your decision changed my life forever.