Leukemia survivor recalls his 11-year-old daughter's life-saving bone marrow donation
It's National Leukemia Awareness Month, a disease that kills nearly 24,000 Americans every year. One Missouri man is beating the disease with a bit of help from his family.
"My daughter literally saved my life," survivor Jim Allin said.
It's a story that tells itself.
“To know my daughter is the one that did that, it's a pretty special thing," Allin said.
Allin was on vacation in Miami when he got sick, went to a hospital, and was told he had an advanced form of leukemia.
"We have no family history," Allin said.
With few options, his family flew back to Kansas City to keep his business going. Allin was forced to stay in Miami and desperately search for a bone marrow donor.
Jim spent 33 days in a Miami hospital, then returned to Kansas City with a list of six possible donors that got narrowed to just one, his daughter.
"It’s tough because you clearly don't want your daughter to bear any burden if something doesn't go well," Allin said.
A 96% match, his 11-year-old daughter Harper Allin was all in. She wanted to save her dad’s life. He’s grateful she dove in headfirst to help him.
"It was scary for her, and she admitted that. She said, ‘You know, dad, if I had to do it again for somebody else, I would,’" Allin said.
Jim has now been in remission for 18 months.
"She knows what she did, and she should be very proud of that for the rest of her life," Allin said.
Watch the video above for the full story.