Alexandria Reimold's journey took an unexpected turn on December 14. After visiting her mom in Houston, she was on her way home when an announcement over the intercom changed everything. A pilot named David Whitson shared his story of undergoing a bone marrow transplant due to myeloid leukemia in 2016, and revealed that his donor was on the plane. Little did Reimold know, the story was about her.

A Chance Encounter that Saved a Life

Reimold's Emotional State Before the Announcement

Reimold, a 30-year-old graduate student at the University of California, Davis, had just come from visiting her mom who had a heart attack. Emotionally drained and exhausted, she was waiting for the flight to take off. Busy downloading files onto her computer to catch up on work during the journey, she was half-listening to the intercom announcement.When she heard about the pilot's bone marrow transplant story, her interest was piqued. As a bone marrow donor herself, she was excited to think that someone else on the plane might have a similar story.

The Moment of Realization

Then, the name David Whitson caught her attention. "I just got so excited and looked around," Reimold recalls. "It's a very funny experience to know that something is happening and for people around you to not know that it's you. So I was very, very excited when I saw David walk down the aisle."This chance encounter set in motion a series of events that would change both their lives.

Whitson's Diagnosis and the Donation

In an interview with PEOPLE, Whitson shared how he was diagnosed with leukemia in August 2016 after visiting the emergency room for a severe headache and flu. Doctors told him he wouldn't survive without a bone marrow transplant. Luckily, they found a match in Reimold, who was 22 at the time and had become a donor at 18 while an undergraduate at Purdue University through Be the Match."I didn't think twice about it when I signed up," Reimold recalls. "It seemed like a really great opportunity. The chances of matching are pretty low, so it was just one of those things — why wouldn't you sign up for this? I had no idea what it would lead to."

The Reunion and Beyond

In 2018, after Whitson's successful transplant, Reimold and Whitson connected for the first time when they both received an email from Be the Match. They quickly exchanged messages and later met in person at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas for a donor-recipient reunion.They spoke, did interviews, and Whitson gave Reimold her first big hug, which was caught on camera. Since then, they have stayed in touch, and Whitson even added Reimold to his United Airlines benefits as a way to thank her.When their flights recently overlapped at the same airport, Whitson decided to do something special. He made a passenger address and shared the story with the passengers. But to his surprise, one passenger captured the moment on camera and it went viral on TikTok, amassing more than 600,000 views.Now, with their story touching the lives of many, both Reimold and Whitson hope to use this opportunity to remind people to get tested and become bone marrow donors."I have been so excited to see people care about this," Reimold says. "A lot of times when you talk about bone marrow, people get a little off put or they get a little scared. But as a donor, and now I've actually donated twice, I can honestly say it's genuinely not as scary as it sounds.""By giving up a day to sit in a hospital and chit-chat with some nurses, you can then go on to save someone's life," she adds.