HOUSTON – Ziggy Stovall has been battling blood cancer for five years.
In July, he received a life-saving bone marrow transplant and now he's on his way back to health.
Ziggy's near-perfect bone marrow match was found in Europe. An anonymous woman there donated her marrow to save Ziggy's life. The two don't know each other, but they are forever connected.
Philly Stovall, Ziggy's mom, is grateful for the selfless act that gave her son a new lease on life.
"She could have declined, and she didn't. So thank you. Thank you so much!" she said.
Ziggy still has a lot of work to do to get healthy. He's cancer-free now, but his immune system was destroyed during the bone marrow transplant process. He needs to rebuild his immune system from scratch, just like an infant. He's vulnerable to harmful germs and bacteria, so he wears a mask to prevent getting sick.
To help others in need of a bone marrow transplant, Philly is a tireless advocate for bone marrow donor registration. "You fill out a form, you swab, and you get a call back if you're a match." It's that easy. A few quick swabs inside your cheek with a Q-tip-like tool. It doesn't take more than five minutes.
Go to bethematch.org to find out how to register to become a potential bone marrow donor.
Our Wednesday's Warrior series is part of our ongoing #Countdown2Kona campaign, in which meteorologist Eric Braate will be competing in the IRONMAN World Championship Triathlon in Kona, Hawaii, in October while raising $140,600 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. He'll be swimming 2.4 miles, biking 112 miles and running 26.2 miles in one of the toughest endurance events on the planet in an effort to raise money to fund research that will ultimately end blood cancer. And we need your help to reach the goal! Please donate today!
