Grant Berg, a terminally ill eight-year-old, was diagnosed with aplastic anemia, a rare and serious condition in which the bone marrow stops producing new blood cells.

He immediately needed a bone marrow transplant or otherwise he would have died. He was kept alive by receiving multiple blood transfusions over a year and a half period.

After a lot of search, a donor was found who was a German college student. Grant’s mother, Kristi Berg, said that without the bone marrow transplant, her son would have not been alive today.

Marvin Zumkley, now 22, met Berg and shared that meeting was crazy and food. At the time of bone marrow transplant, Zumkley was 18 years old. “It was crazy. It was overwhelming, and it was just a good feeling (…) I’ve imagined it so often in my mind and now it is a reality”, said Zumkley.

Berg remained awake even past his bedtime to meet Zumkley and fell asleep on the way back to his home in Temecula, California. Zumkley has planned to relax for a few days and visit Disneyland and find other ways to enjoy southern California and also, to know Grant better.

Blood cells have three very important cells, including red blood cells that carry oxygen; white blood cells that fight infection and platelets that can mend blood vessels and stop bleeding.