Metro Atlanta teen saves sister's life with bone marrow donation

ATLANTA - A metro Atlanta teen has her big sister to thank for saving her life after a bone marrow donation.

Sofia Irlando was diagnosed at 15 years old with acute myeloid leukemia, a cancer of the blood and bone marrow.

"It was like from one day to the next. I was a normal kid. I just started freshman year. I was one week in, and this was dropped on me," she said. "It was definitely very scary and shocking."

Just days before her critical bone marrow transplant, everything fell through.

"At that point, I had gone through my whole preparatory chemo regiment, so all my immune system and bone marrow had been wiped out," she said.

At that point, Sofia had no protection and she and her doctors were looking for any quick option to help keep her alive.

That's when her big sister Bella, who was a half-match, saved the day.

"Of course I was going to step in. There wasn't even a second thought to me," Bella Irlando said. "Looking back on it, I'm just so glad I was there."

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Within 48 hours, doctors harvested Bella's life-saving transplant cells. Two days after her original surgery date, Sofia got the gift of life.

After a recovery period, Sofia was able to ring the end of treatment bell to the cheers of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta staff members.

The sisters say the transplant helped them get even closer than they already were.

"Obviously we have this bond now that not many siblings and sisters share," Bella said.

Sofia says she hopes sharing her and Bella's story prompts more people to become donors.

"You're saving someone's life," she said. "I mean if you could do that I don't know why you wouldn't."

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