Recipient PATRICIA UMANA-DE LA ROSA and Donor JOSE RUBIO

November 2, 2017

Southern Californian, Patricia Umana-De La Rosa, came to Longview, Texas, to meet the East Texan who saved her life. In 2016, Jose Rubio donated healthy stem cells to Patricia, giving her a chance for a cure and extended life.

In 2012, Jose signed up for the Be The Match Registry at a donor recruitment drive at Tyler Junior College in Tyler, Texas.

In 2015, Patricia was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and was told the following year that her best chance to achieve remission and a cure was a stem cell transplant. Her medical team “matched” her with Jose Rubio, and the transplant took place in September 2016.

A year later Because I Care offered Patricia the opportunity to meet her donor at their annual fall banquet. Patricia and her husband, Jose De La Rosa, flew to Longview with great anticipation. “I was overwhelmed with thankfulness and the opportunity to get to know my donor, Jose Rubio,” exclaimed Patricia.

Donor Jose said, “Meeting Patricia was my most memorable event in 2017. After listening to her story and what she was going through made me think that I was born to do this…to help her.”

He went on to say, “Patricia made me understand more about love, and how we should love and help one another. She and I share a great bond with one another, and I am happy to be a part of her family. I am very humbled that I made a difference in someone’s life. I would like to continue to help others.”

Patricia and her husband were able to spend several days with Jose Rubio getting to know him better. They hit it off and are staying in touch with one another. The De La Rosas have invited Jose to come to southern California to visit them and meet her family. This sounds like a “match made in Heaven! “