Cancer Survivor Meets Stem-Cell Donor During Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend
It was definitely an extra magical Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend at Walt Disney World for Boyd Dunleavey and Nathan Barnes. As Boyd was able to meet the man who saved his life, Nathan, once the Half Marathon was finished.
The Orlando Sentinel is reporting that Boyd, who was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia back in 2011 would need a stem-cell transplant to survive. After over a year of searching, Boyd’s doctors were able to find a stem-cell match in Nathan. At the time, Nathan was stationed in Japan as a member of the United States Navy.
Both Boyd and Nathan corresponded via social media and the phone for years but had never met in person. But, that all changed this past Sunday as Nathan was able to present Boyd with the Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon finisher’s medal after the race.
“I never thought it would take us 7½ years to meet, but sometimes it’s even more beautiful when you can wait,” said Boyd.
To get this meeting during the Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon set up, Boyd contacted the race organizer back in the Spring and told them about the impact Nathan had on his life. At first, it was looking unlikely that the meeting would not happen as Nathan is an active serviceman and there was a possibility of deployment.
However, “The race director here was like, ‘No, we have to do this,”’ Boyd said. And, just like Disney magic, it did!
This is the 21st half marathon Boyd has completed. He completed the Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon in 1 hour, 56 minutes, and 35 seconds.
Way to go Boyd and Nathan and all the other participants in the 2019 Disney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend!
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