MONROE, Mich. (AP) - Jessie Kelly wanted to honor the woman who gave her life. On Sept. 20, she hosted a celebration for Nariana Petty, a 26-year-old woman originally from Phoenix whose stem cells saved her. Family and friends gathered to thank Petty and her husband, Chris, for saving Kellys life. The celebration took place at Oakridge Estates Community Center. The Pettys were given baskets filled with items from Michigan, including wine, maple syrup and more.

But the day was about more than just food and fun. It was the first time the women met face to face.

In 2008, Kelly was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma. When chemotherapy did not work, she was given a bone marrow transplant - using her own bone marrow - at Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit.

But after 90 days, she received demoralizing news.

It failed. The transplant didnt take, the 57-year-old Monroe resident said. It was emotionally devastating.

Kellys five siblings were tested, and no one was a match, the Monroe News (http://bit.ly/1sl9S8C ) reported.

I was devastated, she said. I thought for sure one of them would be a match, but that wasnt the case.

Her transplant nurse told her about the National Bone Marrow Registry. Within two weeks, Kelly received a call saying they had found a match.

Kelly and Petty didnt meet when the stem cells were harvested two years ago. For confidentiality reasons, they had to wait a year before they learned about each other.

When she got the call, Petty, 26, was living out West and flew to Detroit for the stem cell harvest. For a few days, she was given shots, and, on Sept. 14, 2012, the bone marrow was extracted from her neck.

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Michigan bone marrow recipient meets her donor

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