United pilot warmly embraces his bone marrow donor after learning she was a passenger on his flight

Passengers usually save their applause for when the plane lands, but on a United flight last weekend, they were clapping before the aircraft even left the ground.

That’s because the flight’s pilot left the cockpit shortly before takeoff to greet one heroic passenger, who happened to be his bone marrow donor.

In a video taken by another passenger, the pilot can be seen walking through the cabin to hug an unnamed young woman, whom he later identifies as his bone marrow donor.

As they embraced, the pilot told surrounding passengers that he had learned right before takeoff that his donor was on board his flight and called her a “true hero.”

He added that the woman was a better match than his own brother, as passengers seated around the pair cheered over the heartwarming interaction.

“This is the young lady that saved my life,” the pilot said, describing the woman who had donated bone marrow to him eight years earlier.

Bone marrow is the soft and spongy liquid tissue in the center of some bones that makes over 200 billion new blood cells each day, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Each year, about 18,000 people learn they have a bone marrow disease that a bone marrow transplant or other stem cell transplant could cure.

The Cleveland Clinic says that about 30% of all people who need a transplant find a matching donor from someone in their immediate family, but the remaining 70% rely on finding matching donors from someone other than a close family member. Anyone can volunteer to donate bone marrow, but all donors must meet certain health requirements.