Holan's sister and parents were not matches, so the only hope was the National Marrow Donor Program. Md. That's why the two of them, Holan and Robert Stransky Jr., held each other's hands aloft Friday, like winners celebrating a victory in the boxing ring. The assembled media broke out in applause. Normally that's taboo at a news conference, but this one was different. It didn't matter that the event was overly choreographed and run by a small army of headset-wearing public relations staffers.
Some stories just feel so good, it's impossible to be cynical.
The genuine nature of people always comes through. Holan and Stransky had little contact before Friday. Some of that was by design. The doctors keep the donor-recipient relationship anonymous for the first year, in part to prevent the donor from developing an emotional attachment to a patient who might still die. Gifts are screened to prevent even a hint of the giver's identity.