Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

NEDERLAND — A mother from Nederland enjoyed a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to meet the 14-year-old girl whose life she saved during DKMS’ Annual Gala at Cipriani Wall Street.

In February 2020, Miley Attocknie of Oklahoma was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia just weeks before the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

After learning from doctors that a blood stem cell transplant was her best chance at survival, Miley and her family began the search for a blood stem cell donor, hoping to find her lifesaving match.

Meanwhile in Texas, 34-year-old Kayla West, a dental assistant and mother of two, received the call from DKMS, the world’s largest blood stem cell donor center, that she was a match for the young girl battling.

West thought of her own daughter, and her husband’s late friend whose cancer battle motivated her to join the registry in 2016, and immediately agreed to move forward with the donation.

In June 2020, West donated her blood stem cells, ultimately providing Miley with a second chance at life.

Last week, the two met for the first time on stage during the gala hosted in New York City by the nonprofit organization that brought them together.