KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A man who received a bone marrow transplant in January of 2016 learned on Tuesday that the donor is an NFL player.
Roy Coe, who lives in Riverside, was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in September of 2012.
After years of aches and pains, chemotherapy treatment and trips to the doctor, Coe could remember the day he learned a donor had come forward.
“That was a pretty good day,” he explained. “It was good to know that there was somebody out there."
For two years after the transplant, Coe often wondered about who the donor was.
On Tuesday, the mystery was finally solved.
Staff at the KU Northland Cancer Center revealed to Coe that the donor is an NFL player.
While the player’s identity still remains a secret, Coe will have a chance to meet the donor this week during a special trip to Minneapolis.
Coe is scheduled to meet the secret NFL player on Wednesday and he already has a special message for him.
“He probably saved my life,” Coe explained. “I owe him a big old 'thank you' for that."
Coe’s encounter with the donor also features a special gift: tickets to the Super Bowl.
“That is something that I did not expect,” he explained. “I never expected in my life to ever go to the Super Bowl."
Coe leaves for Minnesota on Wednesday morning before an event that evening where he will meet his donor.
For more information on becoming a bone marrow donor, visit the Be The Match website.
