8 ms·

A pilot raced through the airport to surprise the woman who saved his life

127 points by ValentineC 2y ago

jemmyw 2y ago
It's a cool story and all but did he really need to stop her plane leaving on time and rush over the airport to meet up with her? I mean, they'd met, she was on his frequent flyers account, probably could have just send an email "hey, we were passing by just the other day and I thought of you, want to catch up?" Does she otherwise have to worry that every time she flies someone will stop her travel to recount the story yet again to a bunch of strangers?
- eadmund 2y ago
  > Does she otherwise have to worry that every time she flies someone will stop her travel to recount the story yet again to a bunch of strangers? Sounds like it: >> Owing to account notifications, David from time to time surprises Allie at an airport where they both happen to be, he said. You know, this could make a decent setup for a Brian de Palma thriller: an attractive young cancer researcher volunteers to save the life of a dashing older pilot; in return, he helps her out by offering to add her to his flight benefits. Naïvely, she accepts — but then he keeps on showing up to her flights. Then he starts appearing at a conference presentation. Then at her lab. Then her home. He won’t take ‘you’re welcome’ for an answer.
eszed 2y ago
The writing in this piece is a bit over-wrought (funnily enough, I don't mind that so much now that it makes me think it was written by a real person and not an AI), but it's still worth reading. Donating blood marrow (or stem cells) is the easiest way you could ever save a life. I encourage everyone to sign up: US - https://www.nmdp.org/get-involved/join-the-registry https://www.nmdp.org/get-involved/join-the-registry UK - https://www.anthonynolan.org/help-save-a-life/join-stem-cell-register https://www.anthonynolan.org/help-save-a-life/join-stem-cell... This story involved stem cells, but for those of you who might worry about the bone marrow extraction procedure, which is reputed to be painful, I've had one - a biopsy for a medical diagnosis, not (alas) a donation - and it's not so bad. A bit uncomfortable, but I'd choose one any time over (say) stubbing my toe. It's really nothing to worry about.
- XiS 2y ago
  NL - https://www.matchis.nl/ https://www.matchis.nl/
  - codetrotter 2y ago
    NO – https://www.helsenorge.no/bli-blodgiver/ https://www.helsenorge.no/bli-blodgiver/
    - vages 2y ago
      That is for blood donation. See https://www.oslo-universitetssykehus.no/fag-og-forskning/nasjonale-og-regionale-tjenester/det-norske-benmargsgiverregisteret/vil-du-bli-benmargsgiver https://www.oslo-universitetssykehus.no/fag-og-forskning/nas... for bone marrow.
      - codetrotter 2y ago
        I misread and thought blood donations was the topic of this string of comments. Sorry, and thanks for the correction.
- zimpenfish 2y ago
  > We’re sorry, you’re unable to join our register as you must be aged between 16 and 30. Boo. Although apparently https://www.dkms.org.uk/ https://www.dkms.org.uk/ will take people up to 55.
- deleted 2y ago
  [deleted]
- tgsovlerkhgsel 2y ago
  AFAIK the bone marrow based procedure requires general anesthesia, with all the risks it entails. Most registries I've seen discourage signing up unless you're willing to do both donations (which I don't quite understand), and this still hasn't changed.
Ackinator 2y ago
One of my coworkers recently shared her personal experience with stem cell donation and I thought it was worth highlighting. It's a great read and may even inspire you to consider donation yourself. You can read it here: https://www.pearlleff.com/stem-cell-donation https://www.pearlleff.com/stem-cell-donation
greatgib 2y ago
Looks like a kind of make up story. Or Christmas feel good usual CNN bullshit. So it is just a friend that met another friend in an airport stopover. Nothing heal related to this encounter. Nothing urgent. And they know each other for years and met also...
oldpersonintx 2y ago
[flagged]
bbkingkrimson 2y ago
I donated bone marrow about 10 years ago. It was an exhausting process, though no worse than dealing with a bad cold. After about two years (if I remember correctly), we exchanged details through the organization that facilitates these donations. However, the recipient never reached out to me. Out of curiosity, I googled the person and discovered this person was apparently a neo-nazi (at least very very right leaning) from East Germany.
- lifestyleguru 2y ago
  If you seek contact simply fly from Berlin airports, the recipient will search and frisk you.
- dtgriscom 2y ago
  The ethics of organ distribution is complex, and I wouldn't want to be on the committee deciding who is worthy and who is not. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethics_of_organ_transplantation#Distribution https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethics_of_organ_transplantatio... https://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/professionals/by-topic/ethical-considerations/ethical-principles-in-the-allocation-of-human-organs/ https://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/professionals/by-topic/ethi...
  - belorn 2y ago
    The ethics of organ distribution usually do not look into the worthiness of the person needing the organ, but rather the effectiveness of the procedure. If the medical intervention is unlikely to be effective, the limited medical resources is better to be allocated elsewhere. Behavior and access to social support can be part of the assessment of how effective the procedure will be, but it doesn't weight the social worthiness of the patient. This principle is similar to why palliative care is different from medical care. At some point the effectiveness of health care is so low that it mostly do more harm or drain resources better allocated to other patients. It is not that elderly people are not worthy of health care, and the ethical considerations focus on making sure its not a value based judgement about who should live and who shouldn't.
- lr4444lr 2y ago
deleted 2y ago
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deleted 2y ago
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127 points by ValentineC 2y ago

It's a cool story and all but did he really need to stop her plane leaving on time and rush over the airport to meet up with her? I mean, they'd met, she was on his frequent flyers account, probably could have just send an email "hey, we were passing by just the other day and I thought of you, want to catch up?" Does she otherwise have to worry that every time she flies someone will stop her travel to recount the story yet again to a bunch of strangers?

eadmund 2y ago
> Does she otherwise have to worry that every time she flies someone will stop her travel to recount the story yet again to a bunch of strangers? Sounds like it: >> Owing to account notifications, David from time to time surprises Allie at an airport where they both happen to be, he said. You know, this could make a decent setup for a Brian de Palma thriller: an attractive young cancer researcher volunteers to save the life of a dashing older pilot; in return, he helps her out by offering to add her to his flight benefits. Naïvely, she accepts — but then he keeps on showing up to her flights. Then he starts appearing at a conference presentation. Then at her lab. Then her home. He won’t take ‘you’re welcome’ for an answer.

eszed 2y ago

The writing in this piece is a bit over-wrought (funnily enough, I don't mind that so much now that it makes me think it was written by a real person and not an AI), but it's still worth reading. Donating blood marrow (or stem cells) is the easiest way you could ever save a life. I encourage everyone to sign up: US - https://www.nmdp.org/get-involved/join-the-registry https://www.nmdp.org/get-involved/join-the-registry UK - https://www.anthonynolan.org/help-save-a-life/join-stem-cell-register https://www.anthonynolan.org/help-save-a-life/join-stem-cell... This story involved stem cells, but for those of you who might worry about the bone marrow extraction procedure, which is reputed to be painful, I've had one - a biopsy for a medical diagnosis, not (alas) a donation - and it's not so bad. A bit uncomfortable, but I'd choose one any time over (say) stubbing my toe. It's really nothing to worry about.

XiS 2y ago
NL - https://www.matchis.nl/ https://www.matchis.nl/
- codetrotter 2y ago
  NO – https://www.helsenorge.no/bli-blodgiver/ https://www.helsenorge.no/bli-blodgiver/
  - vages 2y ago
    That is for blood donation. See https://www.oslo-universitetssykehus.no/fag-og-forskning/nasjonale-og-regionale-tjenester/det-norske-benmargsgiverregisteret/vil-du-bli-benmargsgiver https://www.oslo-universitetssykehus.no/fag-og-forskning/nas... for bone marrow.
    - codetrotter 2y ago
      I misread and thought blood donations was the topic of this string of comments. Sorry, and thanks for the correction.
zimpenfish 2y ago
> We’re sorry, you’re unable to join our register as you must be aged between 16 and 30. Boo. Although apparently https://www.dkms.org.uk/ https://www.dkms.org.uk/ will take people up to 55.
deleted 2y ago
[deleted]
tgsovlerkhgsel 2y ago
AFAIK the bone marrow based procedure requires general anesthesia, with all the risks it entails. Most registries I've seen discourage signing up unless you're willing to do both donations (which I don't quite understand), and this still hasn't changed.

Ackinator 2y ago

One of my coworkers recently shared her personal experience with stem cell donation and I thought it was worth highlighting. It's a great read and may even inspire you to consider donation yourself. You can read it here: https://www.pearlleff.com/stem-cell-donation https://www.pearlleff.com/stem-cell-donation

greatgib 2y ago

Looks like a kind of make up story. Or Christmas feel good usual CNN bullshit. So it is just a friend that met another friend in an airport stopover. Nothing heal related to this encounter. Nothing urgent. And they know each other for years and met also...

oldpersonintx 2y ago

[flagged]

bbkingkrimson 2y ago

I donated bone marrow about 10 years ago. It was an exhausting process, though no worse than dealing with a bad cold. After about two years (if I remember correctly), we exchanged details through the organization that facilitates these donations. However, the recipient never reached out to me. Out of curiosity, I googled the person and discovered this person was apparently a neo-nazi (at least very very right leaning) from East Germany.

lifestyleguru 2y ago
If you seek contact simply fly from Berlin airports, the recipient will search and frisk you.
dtgriscom 2y ago
The ethics of organ distribution is complex, and I wouldn't want to be on the committee deciding who is worthy and who is not. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethics_of_organ_transplantation#Distribution https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethics_of_organ_transplantatio... https://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/professionals/by-topic/ethical-considerations/ethical-principles-in-the-allocation-of-human-organs/ https://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/professionals/by-topic/ethi...
- belorn 2y ago
  The ethics of organ distribution usually do not look into the worthiness of the person needing the organ, but rather the effectiveness of the procedure. If the medical intervention is unlikely to be effective, the limited medical resources is better to be allocated elsewhere. Behavior and access to social support can be part of the assessment of how effective the procedure will be, but it doesn't weight the social worthiness of the patient. This principle is similar to why palliative care is different from medical care. At some point the effectiveness of health care is so low that it mostly do more harm or drain resources better allocated to other patients. It is not that elderly people are not worthy of health care, and the ethical considerations focus on making sure its not a value based judgement about who should live and who shouldn't.
lr4444lr 2y ago

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]

deleted 2y ago

[deleted]