Cancer Survivor Meets Life-Saving Donor on Hockey Fights Cancer Night

Donald Hirsch remembers every moment from the day he received a life-saving phone call.
The Minneapolis, Minn., native had just gotten back to his campsite after wrapping up a well-earned day of fishing and relaxation when his cell phone rang.
The call was from Gift of Life - a non-profit organization that matches blood stem-cell and marrow donors to individuals battling blood cancer.
Hirsch, who had recently been given a terminal blood cancer diagnosis, picked up.

"There are days in your life that you never forget where you were, what were you doing," Hirsch said. "When I got that phone call that day - it was one of those moments."
The voice on the other end of the line told Hirsch that Gift of Life had found him a match and that he would soon receive a life-saving blood stem cell donation.
What Hirsch didn't know at the time was who the donation came from.
As it turned out, the donor was 23-year-old Danielle Conti, who learned of her match with an unknown individual after joining the Gift of Life donor registry at a sorority meeting three years prior.
The University of Delaware student would just need to go in for a blood stem-cell donation to complete the process.
The decision, she said, was a no-brainer, and on her 22nd birthday, Conti made the impactful donation.
Hirsch received the life-saving stem-cell transplant soon after, though still did not know who he had to thank for it.
As it's done for countless others, hockey would finally bring the pair together.

In front of a sold-out Bridgestone Arena crowd on Hockey Fights Cancer Night Saturday, Hirsch and Conti met at last, sharing a touching moment they'll likely never forget.
"When I signed up to do Gift of Life four years ago, I had never imagined I would get matched with someone," Conti said. "And I never imagined when I did that that I would actually get to meet him. It was just an amazing experience."
"I was elated," Hirsch said. "To meet the person who saved my life is just unbelievable. I think I've thought about this day for basically a year and a half now. And it's just just amazing to finally meet the person that just gave so much. She's so thoughtful and just a wonderful person."
Click here to learn more about Gift of Life
and
click here to learn more about the Hockey Fights Cancer initiative
.