Carrie Atkins and Erin Cortright meet for the first time at Mass General Hospital. (credit: CBS)
Reporting Kate Merrill
BOSTON (CBS) — “This is a really great moment,” said Dr. Eyal Attar.
In a small room inside Mass General is a meeting almost two years in the making.
Erin Cortright said, “It’s amazing what she did. Extraordinary is the word I would use.”
Carrie Atkins saved Erin Cortright’s life.
WBZ-TV’s Kate Merrill reports.
Cortright said, “They gave us a time line that I would die in two to four months.”
Cortright had Leukemia and was told there was nothing left to do; she was at hospice ready to die. And then she met Dr. Eyal Attar at Mass General Hospital.
He offered a long shot, an experimental bone marrow transplant. Atkins, a nursing student from Florida, member of the military and total stranger, was a match and agreed to help
Atkins said, “I’m so overwhelmed by it, I just didn’t think about the big impact such a huge impact and that it work”
The two women never met until now, but both always wondered about the other.
Cortright said, “I always felt this wouldn’t be complete until I could thank her in person for what she did for me returning me to my role as a mother as a wife.”
A selfless act that is now a life long bond.
“To see where it went and her family loves her and she’s the same age as my mom. I would want someone to do that for my mom,” said Atkins.
Erin is doing great and doctors say may never see her Leukemia again.
Her goal is to see her son graduate on May 15. Her doctors say that will happen.
6 Comments
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what a gift to give, what a gift to receive. both women are a new kind of profile in courage. an experimental procedure offered to someone in hospice. turn down the egypt coverage boston tv stations and focus on a home grown news story that shows how good the human heart can be and an event that took place before valentine’s day. good health, happiness and a long happy life to both women and their families.
February 11, 2011 at 8:27 pm | | Report comment
Carrie Atkins is definately my person of the year so far. This caring person has saved a stranger’e life which only shows that there are some wonderful people everywhere. Unfortunatley, it’s the many morons who get too much of the publicity.
February 11, 2011 at 9:07 pm | | Report comment
It is amazing how skilled and knowledgeable the medical profession has become. We should always salute the doctors who are courageous enough to try new treatments and ideas which eventually give a person his life back… I wish that our Government will always remember that the citizens prefer that their tax money be used to advance medical research and innovations over pet programs and waste… I salute the medical team that performed the transplant.
February 12, 2011 at 1:14 am | | Report comment
This story proves that there are really good people out there, and that miracles do happen.
Everyone should consider joining the bone marrow registry, as one never knows if you could also save a life!
February 12, 2011 at 10:22 am | | Report comment
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January 28, 2012 at 5:13 am | | Report comment