Cancer Survivor Meets Stem Cell Donor at Disney World 5K

When Abby Hudak crossed the finish line of a Disney World 5K this month, she was running alongside the Scottish stranger who saved her life.

At 30, the lifelong athlete went from perfectly healthy to fighting acute lymphoblastic leukemia in a matter of hours. She spent a month in the hospital after her emergency room diagnosis, facing a disease she'd never imagined would touch her life.

Doctors told her a stem cell transplant was her best shot at survival. Months later, they found her match: Lewis Haggerty, a 28-year-old from Scotland who had signed up at a university fair years earlier.

Haggerty donated his stem cells in 2023 through a straightforward process he compared to giving blood over two sessions. "I didn't think I was doing anything extraordinary," he said. "It just felt like the right thing to do."

For Hudak, the transplant marked the beginning of recovery, not the end. She spent another month in the hospital and continued treatment for years, dealing with complications and the emotional weight of cancer. During that time, she created a bucket list focused on living, not dying.

The Ripple Effect

According to the National Marrow Donor Program, a blood stem cell transplant can treat or cure more than 75 diseases. About 75% of patients don't have a fully matched donor in their family, making strangers like Haggerty literal lifesavers for people like Hudak.

Now 34, Hudak works with the organization to help guide potential donors through the same process that gave her a second chance. She's also crossed off bucket list items like base jumping and celebrating every milestone cancer once threatened to take away.

For two years after the transplant, Hudak and Haggerty remained anonymous to each other, as required. They eventually connected through messages, then a video call, building a relationship before meeting face to face.

When they finally met at Walt Disney World earlier this month, it felt natural. "Like we were already family," Hudak said.

They spent several days together with their partners, laughing and bonding over shared interests. The 5K was Hudak's idea, a celebration she'd envisioned even before they met.

"We just laughed the entire race," she said. For Haggerty, traveling from Scotland was an easy decision. "To see how far she's come, from being so unwell to running a race, it was incredible."

Today, the two are forever connected in the most literal sense. "She has my DNA," Haggerty said.

Both hope their story inspires others to consider becoming donors. Haggerty emphasizes that if you're healthy, it's a small thing that could save someone's life. Hudak reminds anyone facing cancer to find their mental peace and focus on what they can control.

One stranger's simple act gave Hudak not just more years, but a lifelong bond that turned into family.