Long Island mother, son meet donor who saved his life
LEVITTOWN, Long Island (WABC) -- Every day for the past 15 years, Tracey Dones of Levittown has thought about the woman who saved her son's life by donating stem cells.
Anthony Dones, now 15, was born with a rare genetic disease.
"They said that his only chance of survival was to undergo a stem cell transplant," Tracey Dones said.
At 5 months old, Anthony had a transplant using the stem cells from an anonymous woman's umbilical cord blood. She had donated it shortly after giving birth.
Tracey Dones decided to do a DNA test for herself and Anthony last summer, and she was shocked to see that his results listed him as having a different mother. The report said his mother was Patti Bosques.
"At first, I was like, hmm, that doesn't look right," Tracey Dones said. "And then it dawned on me. I just discovered who my son's donor is."
So she reached out to Bosques on Facebook.
"It was very emotional," Bosques said. "I was very overwhelmed. It just brought tears to my eyes."
A few weeks ago, the Dones went to Bosques' house in Lynbrook to meet their hero and her son Sam.
"It was just a great day," Tracey Dones said. "They invited us to stay for dinner. Anthony and Sam played video games."
.
Bosques said it was like meeting another family member.
"It was pretty good," Anthony Dones said. "It was awesome."
The two families plan to keep in touch.
----------
