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MONROE, Mich. (AP) — Jessie Kelly wanted to honor the woman who gave her life. On Sept. 20, she hosted a celebration for Nariana Petty, a 26-year-old woman originally from Phoenix whose stem cells saved her. Family and friends gathered to thank Petty and her husband, Chris, for saving Kelly's life. The celebration took place at Oakridge Estates Community Center. The Pettys were given baskets filled with items from Michigan, including wine, maple syrup and more.
But the day was about more than just food and fun. It was the first time the women met face to face.
In 2008, Kelly was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. When chemotherapy did not work, she was given a bone marrow transplant — using her own bone marrow — at Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit.
But after 90 days, she received demoralizing news.
"It failed. The transplant didn't take," the 57-year-old Monroe resident said. "It was emotionally devastating."
Kelly's five siblings were tested, and no one was a match, the Monroe News (http://bit.ly/1sl9S8C ) reported.
"I was devastated," she said. "I thought for sure one of them would be a match, but that wasn't the case."
Her transplant nurse told her about the National Bone Marrow Registry. Within two weeks, Kelly received a call saying they had found a match.
Kelly and Petty didn't meet when the stem cells were harvested two years ago. For confidentiality reasons, they had to wait a year before they learned about each other.
When she got the call, Petty, 26, was living out West and flew to Detroit for the stem cell harvest. For a few days, she was given shots, and, on Sept. 14, 2012, the bone marrow was extracted from her neck.
Four days later, the bone marrow went into Kelly's body.
Finding a donor can depend on many factors, said Toni Clark, a registered nurse and regulatory specialist at Karmanos who was one of about 50 people who attended the party.
"It depends on the HLA (human leukocyte antigen) cell type and marrow type," she explained. "All of these factors go into a database and then potential matches are determined."
Gender and age are considered in the donation, as well. "The younger the stem cells, the better," Clark said.
Becoming a donor was a random occurrence, Petty said.
"I was on the Internet and I came across it and I thought that was something I could do," she explained. "It was on a whim."
Now living in Marysville, Ohio, Petty said she had been unable to donate blood in the past because of "small arm veins," but she thought donating bone marrow would be something she could do to help someone in need.
"I didn't even think about it," Petty said about the call to donate. "I signed up to do it. It was something I had to do."
After the year passed, the pair was asked if they wanted to be put in touch; they agreed. They spent time talking on Facebook and, eventually, Kelly gave Petty a call and talked for about 15 minutes the first time.
"I just wanted to hear her voice," Kelly said, adding it was her son, Joel, who encouraged her to make that first call.
Saturday's celebration came almost two years to the date of the initial transplant.
"I jumped out of the car and hugged her," Kelly said.
Kelly said she was grateful to her support base, including her husband of 32 years, Chris; her daughter, Christa Kelly, who was her caretaker, and her son and his wife, Breece. She's grateful to be able to spend time with her grandson, Jude, whom she called "the love of her life."
"I've had the best support, but she (Nariana) is the icing on the cake," Kelly said.
For Petty, who has been married four years, donating was about the opportunity to save a life.
"If one person signs up, it's for the better," she said.
Her husband has signed up to be swabbed in order to join the list.
"Some of the side effects weren't great, but it doesn't compare to saving a life," Mr. Petty said.
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Information from: Monroe News, http://www.monroenews.com
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