Mads Pomranky, now 2, needed a stem cell transplant to survive, and an 18-year-old nursing student from Ohio was a match.
The two families recently met.
Jennifer and Derrick Pomranky, Mads' parents, and donor Kaelynn Speed joined ABC7 Chicago Monday to talk about the experience.
RELATED: The ABC7 Great Chicago Blood Drive
Speed said she was in the midst of her first college finals when she found out she was a match, and she was so glad to help the little boy.
Now, Mads is a rambunctious toddler, his parents said.
Olivia Haddox, a donor recruitment coordinator for DKMS, also talked about what's involved in stem cell donation.
For more information on stem cell registration, visit dkms.org.