Stem cell recipient-donor meet in emotional celebration

Grant Mooney said the day he donated his stem cells was the best day of his life. He didn’t know at the time there were more celebrations to follow.

By TJ Banes, IU Health Senior Journalist, tfender1@iuhealth.org

The anticipation grew as each minute passed. Roger “Dale” Conner had waited a long time to meet the young man who saved his life. He never thought that day would come. Then, he received a phone call from a California number. It was Grant Mooney, a 28-year-old native of California and 2020 graduate of UCLA.

From that phone call, Conner, 59, learned that Mooney was his stem cell donor. The two decided to meet and all the pieces began to fall into place.

Conner lives in Norris City, Ill., and Mooney now lives in Richmond, Va. Mooney was a college student when he registered as a stem cell donor. It took just a few minutes to have his cheek swabbed and fill out a short registration form provided by DKMS. The international organization focuses on fighting blood cancer and blood cancer disorders and managing one of the world’s largest stem cell donor registries.

About the same time Mooney was a college student working toward a degree in sociology Conner received his first diagnosis of Chronic Myeloid Leukemia (CML). That then changed to Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a fast-growing blood cancer. He became a patient of IU Health’s Dr. Varun Mittal, who specializes in blood and bone marrow transplant and cellular therapy. Conner underwent several rounds of chemotherapy and received a stem cell transplant on June 29, 2022.

“This month is my fourth birthday,” said Conner, as he recently waited in a hospital room on the same floor where he was once a patient at Simon Cancer Center. As he waited, he was joined by his oncologist, his mother, Judy Pannett, and Amanda Milner, found or Fair Haven Foundation. The organization provided housing for Conner’s family during his long stay in Indianapolis.

Conner and his mother left their Illinois home early on the Tuesday morning of the planned meeting with Conner’s donor. And as he waited, Conner fought back tears and was joined by several nurses – some that cared for him while he was in the unit.

As Mooney walked toward the room, his arms were wide open, and he embraced his recipient in a big hug. “This a one-time thing right here. You saved my life,” said Conner, who is married and the father to a son and daughter. He also has four grandsons.

He talked to Mooney about the changes since he received his stem cells. His dislike for cats has changed and he now has three. He also has different tastes for foods. He’s holding Mooney’s stem cells responsible for those changes.

Mooney was a 100 percent match for his recipient.

“Being a stem cell donor is one of the most altruistic things left in society. Getting the stem cells is critical for his well-being after we finish the therapy. It’s always great to find such a match,” said Dr. Mittal. He also joked asking Mooney if he likes deer meat.

One of Conner’s hobbies is spending time outdoors and he now has more time fishing and hunting with his grandsons.

Since his college graduation, Mooney has spent time traveling and working in various jobs including a snowboarding instructor, roofing sales representative, and accounting software caller. Her recently started volunteering at a hospital medical ICU and is considering a career in nursing.

The son of Bart and Valerie, Mooney said he spent his high school and college years involved in various service projects. He volunteered for a camp for children whose parents were diagnosed with cancer, and a camp for adults with disabilities.

“When I signed up to be a donor, I didn’t think it was that big of a deal,” said Mooney. “I feel odd when people commend me for donating. The truth is, I was afraid of needles and blood, but the process was really pretty simple and was honestly the best day of my life. I can’t imagine saying, ‘No’ to someone who needed it. Now we’re literally like family. I look forward to celebrating June 29 every year – even if it’s with a phone call or a visit.”