The Following is via CBS News:

It�s the life-saving gift that both recipient and donor get to celebrate thanks in part to the Gift of Life Marrow Registry. Thousands of lives have been saved� and now Howard Shlensky�s is another.

�When I got that phone call, I was already sitting down on the couch,� recalls Schlensky. �They told me I had possibly two perfect matches. You talk about a grown man crying� what a moment.�

And those moments just keep coming. From facing terminal cancer to getting a second chance, all because a stranger joined the bone marrow registry, and donated when he learned he was a perfect match.

Wednesday the two men met for the first time.

�More excited than nervous,� explains Schlensky as he reaches to knock on the door, �great, great opportunity for me today.�

The next few moments are lost in a blur of hugs and emotion.

So what do you say to the stranger, who donated the stem cells, that saved your life?

�Akiva, oh my God. Thank you,� breaths an emotional Schlensky. �Thank you, thank you. So good to meet you. Really. Thank you.�

Four years ago, Akiva Rodin joined the Gift of Life Marrow Registry at the urging of his older brother. A family friend was battling cancer and everyone was encouraged to submit a swab.

�I didn�t even know so much what it was,� explains an unassuming Akiva, 25. �OK, they told me to swab my check. OK! No problem!�

Meanwhile, pharmacist Howard Schlensky had a loving family, a great life� when chronic lymphocytic leukemia threatened to take it all from him.

�They gave me about 6 months to live,� says Schlensky, after being warned that the frequent blood transfusions could not continue indefinitely.

And yet, he says, he never gave up hope.�

What the father of three couldn�t know, was that a hero was already waiting in the wings. Ironically, the family friend whose diagnosis led him to join the registry later found a match, and Akiva became one.

�You can�t really put it into words,� says Akiva. �It�s really incredible. So thankful to God that he gave me an opportunity.�

Meanwhile, in mere moments, the one-time strangers are a laughing, embracing extended family.

�Welcome! Welcome to our home!� shouts Aryeh Rodin, Akiva�s father. �All of these events are coming together in such a spectacular fashion. It�s very inspiring.�

Now, Gift of Life staffers say they hope news of the local miracle will encourage others to get involved.

�This is the culmination of everything that we do,� says Russell Lowe, a community engagement coordinator with Gift of Life. �Everything that we preach and that we want people to do, this is what it can lead to.�

Lowe says it�s a simple process to head to their website and request a kit to submit a swab. It�s painless� and is desperately needed, especially in minority communities.

�Every three minutes someone is diagnosed with some form of blood cancer and those people need transplants,� says Lowe. �There is an extreme need for diversity. Some 55 percent of Hispanics can�t find a match, 75 percent of African Americans can�t find a match. To combat that, we just need more people from diverse backgrounds to get registered.�

Howard Shlensky is living proof that the registry works, and it definitely matters.

�Someday they�re going to know somebody that�s going to need it,� says Shlensky. �If it�s not themselves and now is a great opportunity to step up and get swabbed.�

Then, with a deep sigh that screamed gratitude, �Today�s just been a great day.� And with his voice breaking, �Thank you.�

(Source: CBS News)