United Airlines pilot warmly hugs bone marrow donor after passing him during flight

Passengers usually save their applause for when the plane touches down, but on United Airlines on Saturday they were clapping even before the plane left the ground.

That's because United pilot David Whitson boarded Flight 2223 from Houston to Newark, New Jersey, just before takeoff to greet a heroic passenger who happened to be a bone marrow donor.

A video shot by another passenger shows Whitson walking around the cabin and hugging passenger Alexandria Reimold, who was later revealed to be the bone marrow donor.

After piloting another flight that landed in Houston, he ran to Reimold's gate, said “hello” before the flight took off, and “talked to others over the plane's PA system,” a United Airlines spokesperson said. We shared some great stories with other travelers.” .

As they hugged each other, Whitson told fellow passengers that Reimold was a “true hero.”

He added that Reimold, who was 22 at the time of the donation eight years ago, was a better candidate than his younger brother.

“This is the young woman who saved my life,” Whitson said, as passengers seated around them cheered.

Reimold was 18 years old when he registered as a bone marrow donor while attending Purdue University, but did not donate bone marrow until four years later, a United spokesperson said. She and Whitson were both registered. National Bone Marrow Donor Program When there is a match.

As a result of Reimold's donation, Whitson's bone marrow transplant was performed in 2016. He returned to flying as a United Airlines pilot in 2018, the airline announced.

The airline said Whitson and Reimold met in 2018 when Whitson's hospital, Dallas-Baylor Medical Center, organized an in-person meeting.

Bone marrow is the soft, spongy liquid tissue in the center of some bones that produces more than 200 billion new blood cells each day. cleveland clinic. Each year, approximately 18,000 people suffer from bone marrow diseases and learn that they may be cured through bone marrow transplants and other stem cell transplants.

According to the Cleveland Clinic, about 30% of people who need a transplant find a matched donor from a close relative, while the remaining 70% rely on finding a matched donor from outside their immediate family. Anyone can volunteer to donate bone marrow, but all donors must meet certain health requirements.