A boy with a rare bone marrow disorder finally meets the person who helped save his life – his bone marrow donor.
Rupert Cross, 10 years old, is from Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire. He suffered from an uncommon blood disease which had him confined for a total of 80 days at Great Ormond Street Hospital. The young kid has had been battling the disease for four long years until a miracle happened.
The kind-hearted donor, Billy Higgins, saw a woman he liked in the queue and decided to sign up for the blood cancer charity, Anthony Nolan. Luckily, Higgins was found to be a match for Rupert and went on with the operation.
While Rupert was on his way to full recovery two years later, he was given the chance to meet the person who saved his life. He even described Higgins as his “Superman” for doing such a noble act.
He told the Daily Mail “I feel very lucky and can’t believe someone would do this for me”.
Rupert got sick in 2014. He suffered from a series of headaches and was diagnosed with the disease called myelodysplasia in 2016. Myelodysplasia is a condition where the bone marrow produces immature cells instead of red blood cells. If not for Higgins’ help, the disorder would have led to leukemia, a more life-threatening condition.
Higgins was happy that he was able to do something to help save somebody’s life. He said that “If you’ve got that opportunity to provide a bone marrow that someone desperately needs then you have to do it. It’s the right thing to do.”
Not only has Higgins been able to make a difference in another person’s life; he also got married to the woman he was crushing on the queue, Kate Willis. He also shared with PressReader, “I’m not really a believer in karma but it’s nice when things come together like this, and everyone gets a happy ending.” He also added that he never realized the impact he was going to make on someone when he donated. In the end, he was certainly very happy to help.”
The story of Rupert and Higgins is one of the most heartwarming stories we can draw inspiration from. If it wasn’t for Kate, these things wouldn’t have happened. It was indeed a nice turnout of events! It was magical for Higgins’ to tie the knot with the woman of his dreams after such a noble and kind act without expecting anything in return.
In life, we never realize the impact we have on those around us until we do something. No matter how big or small, one act of kindness can go a long way. Being kind doesn’t have to mean saving a person’s life. Sometimes, it means lending a helping hand, a crying shoulder or a listening ear to those who need them the most.
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