In 2000, after 31 years of robust health, James Chippendale, a wealthy Dallas business executive who had traveled much of the world, was found to be suffering from a lethal form of leukemia. Mr. Chippendale's doctors told him that his only chance of survival was a bone marrow transplant, and that the likelihood of finding a matching donor seemed bleak. More than 5,000 miles and a world away, Klaus Kaiser, a simple man who repairs bicycles in the German village where he was born, had unsuccessfully tried to be a marrow donor for a friend with a blood disorder. Each year Mr. Kaiser received a form asking if he wanted to continue being listed on the donor registry. And each year he checked the box marked "yes." On paper at least, or more accurately on sophisticated medical computer screens, Mr. Kaiser's marrow seemed a perfect match for Mr. Chippendale... this New York Times article shares more of their moving story.
