Adriana Aviles met the bone marrow donor who saved her life after she was diagnosed with leukemia in 2015, and the 7-year-old Utah girl was overcome with emotion.
In a video shared by Inside Edition, the young leukemia survivor bursts into tears and runs into the arms of 29-year-old Mike Laureano, sobbing "thank you" as she clings to him.
Adriana Aviles, the daughter of MLB utility man Mike Aviles, was diagnosed with leukemia the day before Mother's Day in 2015, when she was just 4 years old, The Daily Mail noted.
After undergoing a bone marrow transplant, she was pronounced cancer free and her family decided to arrange a meeting with her donor in celebration of this year's Mother's Day.
"Adriana fell apart as soon as she saw the sight of his car on our drive - not in a sad way, but in an overwhelmed, appreciative way," her mother, Jessy Aviles said, according to The Daily Mail. "Within seconds of him arriving, she was in his arms thanking him for saving her life, which is where she stayed for the entire evening."
Laureano said he became a donor because it "was the right thing to do," Inside Edition noted.
"I was a healthy individual living my life, so if I could help allow someone else to do the same then I, as a human being, have an obligation to do so," he said.
Jessy Aviles said her family had a bond with Laureano that would last forever.
"Words will never explain my gratitude for Mike," she said. "I wish I could hand him my heart and let him feel it. Only then would he know what he has done for my family. It is beyond anything a word could describe, it is a feeling."
When it comes to becoming a bone marrow donor, it takes only a tongue swab for potential donors to be typed for the genetic markers called human leukocyte antigens (HLA) that need to be a close match for recipients.
Those between the ages of 18 and 60 may register to donate either on line by requesting a kit or through donor drives.