Little Adriana Aviles was only four years old when she was diagnosed with leukaemia. Three years later, she was waiting excitedly at her door to meet 29-year-old Mike Laureano- the man that donated the bone marrow that saved her life.
In video shared by Caters News, Adriana is overcome with tears when she sees Mike for the first time, rushing to hug him.
"Thank you, thank you so much," she repeats.
“Adri might only be 7 years old, but her heart and mind are wise — she knows how incredible this gift of life was," Jessy Aviles, Adriana's mum shared.
Laureano became a donor after a drive at his university encouraged him to sign up to donor service Be My Match.
"I signed up because it was the right thing to do," Laureano said. "I was a healthy individual living my life, so if I could help allow someone else to do the same then I, as a human being, have an obligation to do so."
The organisation allows families to contact their donors a year after the donation. Aviles decided that it was time- the family was ready to meet the man that had saved their girl.
"Adriana fell apart as soon as she saw the sight of his car on our drive — not in a sad way, but in an overwhelmed, appreciative way,” Aviles recalled. "Within seconds of him arriving, she was in his arms thanking him for saving her life, which is where she stayed for the entire evening."
Adriana's twin sister, Maiya, was also delighted to meet her sister's saviour.
"We have a bond with him that will last forever. Words will never explain my gratitude for Mike," their mother continued. "I wish I could hand him my heart and let him feel it. Only then would he know what he has done for my family. It is beyond anything a word could describe, it is a feeling."
An act of kindness that was truly life-saving.
