NEDERLAND, Texas — A Nederland mom and a teen from Oklahoma were finally brought together after a life-saving donation.
In 2017 Kayla West and her husband were at a Goo Goo Dolls concert at the Jefferson Theater in Beaumont and noticed a DKMS booth.
DKMS is a international nonprofit dedicated to the fight against blood cancers and other blood-related illnesses. Their mission is to inspire people around the world to register as blood stem cell donors.
Kayla decided to swab her cheek and join the stem cell registry to see if she could be a match to someone in need.
In February 2020, Miley Attocknie was 10-years-old and living in Oklahoma when she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a form of blood cancer.
"I thought that I was gonna die, but then later that night my mother explained to me in the hospital that it was cancer," said Miley.
Her best chance of survival was a blood stem cell transplant that needed to be donated by a perfect match.
"We've witnessed a lot of people that didn't have matches, so it gets scary," Miley's mom said.
After a month Miley got the call she had been desperately waiting for. They found a perfect match.
"Miley had a confirmed match. Her donor was unrelated. They had been in touch with the donor and she was willing to donate, and do what was needed to save Miley," said Miley's mom.
Kayla was more than ready to donate her blood stem cells to Miley.
"You know, I asked on the phone. I'm like 'where do you need me to go? right now? when? where?'," Kayla said.
It was an easy decision for her to make.
"They needed somebody desperately. And that person was me. And all I could think of was, you know if that was my kid and I couldn't help them," Kayla said.
The transfusion was a success. Kayla's donation worked hard to help heal Miley.
Kayla and Miley never met before the donation took place. They were united at a DKMS gala in New York City. The two were finally able to hug, while fighting back tears.
"She was sweet, loving. I was very excited to meet her. She was very excited to meet me. And it was the best day possible," Miley said.
"When her and I were able to meet, there were no words said there were only tears," said Kayla.
Kayla's selfless donation is the reason Miley was able to stand on the stage.
"I'm so grateful and honored to be apart of this. And for you Miley, I love you," Kayla said at the gala.
The two consider each other family now. Miley even calls Kayla her donor mom.
Joining the donor registry is as simple as a swab, but it can still take years to find a match. If you want to become a donor, check out the information on DKMS' website here.