Kobe Dickus was just 14 years old when he was diagnosed with Leukemia. He was dropping weight and doctors doubted he would live, that is, until doctors found Nick Magyar. A bone marrow transplant changed these strangers into friends.
"It's not ever about knowing the person. It’s about it being another human being, if.. why would you let? ...if you can save someone why would you let them die?” said Magyar.
Then 21, Magyar was told he was the perfect match for a young boy across the country. He didn't know anything else. Donor registry rules prevented him from knowing anything other than the fact that a young man half-way across the country was dying and needed his help.
"I couldn't let something awful happen to someone," said Magyar.
Months from graduating college, Magyar made the plunge and he decided to donate his bone marrow.
The process to give and take marrow isn't always the same; matches like Magyar’s to Dickus’ are rare because they’re not related.
In case things were so dire, Magyar couldn't just give marrow through a simple blood transfusion.
"They drill into your back," said Magyar.
Doctors had to physically remove the marrow from Magyar’s spine; he didn't question it. It’s something that's not lost on Dickus.
It’s why this week, the two arranged to meet for the first time. The moment was captured on cell phone video.
The two will now have a few days to catch up, even look in on the very room where Dickus got his first transfusion.
Dickus and his family live in Sioux City, so it was a big deal for him to be able to come to Nebraska Medicine for all of his treatment. As a result of the surgeries, and the transplant his Leukemia is now in remission.
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