Eight years ago, seventeen-year-old Eduardo Ramirez from Salinas, California almost had his life taken by leukemia. Today, he is celebrating almost five years cancer free, thanks to his life saving marrow transplant. He is enjoying life; playing soccer with his friends, dating a beautiful girl, and looking forward to attending the University of California-- Berkeley in the fall.

Eduardo was ten-years-old when he suddenly felt a lot of pain in his legs and experienced a high fever. He was immediately rushed to the hospital and after several blood tests; the doctors informed his family that he had Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Eduardo received chemotherapy for two and a half years and the disease went into remission. However, six months later he was rushed back to the hospital. He had relapsed and his only chance to survive was to receive a bone marrow transplant.

His doctors searched on the National Marrow Donor Program (now the Be The Match Registry) for an unrelated bone marrow donor and a few weeks later they notified the family that a 100% match was found and that the bone marrow transplant was scheduled for December of 2004.

His donor was Carlos Trochez, a deacon from Woodside, New York. He registered as a potential bone marrow donor in 1999 at a bone marrow drive organized by The Icla da Silva Foundation at his church. Carlos donated his bone marrow, which was transported to California where Eduardo received his life saving transplant.

Two years after his bone marrow transplant, The Icla da Silva Foundation arranged for Eduardo and his family to come to New York and have the immense pleasure to meet his marrow donor for the very first time. Both met at the Foundation’s Annual fundraising event in 2006 and continue to keep in touch. On June 16, his marrow donor, Carlos Trochez, will be attending Eduardo’s high school graduation in California.

Today, Carlos, originally from Colombia, considers Eduardo a son and keeps in contact with him almost every week. When Carlos was recently asked about Eduardo, he smiled proudly and said, "That boy now loves Colombian food."