Fresno cancer survivor meets stem cell donor, celebrates life at Disney run

Abby Hudak’s first face-to-face thank-you to the stranger who saved her life came with hugs, tears and a finish-line medal at Walt Disney World Resort.

The Fresno woman, diagnosed with an aggressive form of blood cancer in 2022, met Lewis Haggerty of Scotland during the 2026 runDisney Springtime Surprise Weekend in Florida, then joined him for a Friday morning 5K as part of the friendship-themed race weekend running April 16-20. Hudak underwent a life-saving stem cell transplant in 2023 after the registry matched her with Haggerty through an online donor system.

For Hudak, the reunion turned a medical milestone into a public celebration of survival. For families across Fresno County still waiting for a match, it underscored how much hinges on a single donor being found in time.

NMDP says blood stem cell transplants are commonly used to treat blood cancers and disorders, including AML and severe aplastic anemia, by replacing unhealthy blood-forming cells with healthy ones. The nonprofit also says many recipients want to meet their donors after transplant, although privacy rules can affect when, or whether, that contact happens.

Hudak now works with NMDP, helping guide donors through the process, a role that gives the story a local edge beyond the emotional reunion itself. It shows how one Fresno survivor has moved from needing a transplant to helping others navigate the same lifesaving system.

The need remains large. Federal donor-registry data show the U.S. registry holds more than 9.4 million potential donors, yet matching still depends heavily on ancestry, and patients from underrepresented groups can have a harder time finding a fully matched unrelated donor. That is why NMDP continues to push for a broader, more diverse registry, especially for patients whose best hope depends on a precise genetic match.

The scale of the system is measured not only in donors, but in lives already touched. The C.W. Bill Young Cell Transplantation Program has impacted nearly 150,000 lives since 1987, according to federal data.

The weekend carried another practical purpose as well. WFTV reported NMDP aimed to raise $26,000 over the event, helping support the work that connects donors with patients who may have no other chance. For a Fresno survivor now running beside the man who gave her that chance, the lesson was visible and immediate: one registry match can change an entire Valley family’s future.