She was flying home heartbroken after her mom’s heart attack — until the pilot’s surprise announcement thanked her for something she did 8 years ago

The noble things you do quietly often find a way back to you when you need them most. For a woman named Alexandria Reimold, her good karma came back when she was flying home from Houston on December 14, 2024. When the pilot, David Whitson, announced on the intercom about a very special guest on the plane. Reimold, a postdoctoral scholar, immediately felt a spark of curiosity, according to PEOPLE. Little did she know that the pilot was talking about her. The heartwarming moment between Whitson and Reimold was captured on camera and later posted on TikTok by a realtor, Laura LoGiudice (@laurasellshouston), on December 15, 2024.

Reimold was emotionally drained and exhausted after visiting her mother, who had just suffered a heart attack. She tried to settle herself into her seat and began downloading work files to distract herself during the flight. Soon, Whitson started speaking over the intercom and sharing that years earlier, he had undergone a bone marrow transplant after being diagnosed with myeloid leukemia, and that his donor was on the plane. She got excited by the idea that there was someone else on board who might share a similar experience, since she was also a bone marrow donor. 

“Then I heard David's name, and I put two and two together,” she told the outlet, realizing that the story was about her. “I just got so excited and looked around,” she said. “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.” Whitson, in an interview with the outlet, shared how his life changed in August 2016, when he was diagnosed with leukemia after visiting the emergency room for a severe headache and flu-like symptoms. Doctors at the time told him he would not survive without a transplant. Eventually, Reimold, who was just 22 years old at the time, was found to be a match. 

During her time at Purdue University, Reimold, then 18, signed up as a bone marrow donor through Be The Match. She shared, “I didn’t think twice about it when I signed up. It seemed like a really great opportunity.” After the transplant, both of them were given the option to connect when Be The Match emailed them asking if they wanted to exchange contact information. Both said yes. At Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, they met for the first time during a donor-recipient reunion. Since then, they have been in touch. 

As a gesture of gratitude, Whitson even added Reimold to his United Airlines benefits. So when he noticed that their flights would be overlapping at the same airport years later, he decided to do something meaningful. “I had just flown in, and I was racing to catch her flight,” he said. “I only had about a 40-minute window before she left, so when I landed, I contacted the captain operating the aircraft the day before and asked if he'd mind if I did this. I got clearance from the gate agents to make it happen.”

Whitson further explained, “So I just made a little passenger address to the passengers, told them who I was and what was going on.” Unbeknownst to Whitson, another passenger captured this emotional moment and later posted it online. He recalled that his transplant was completed eight years ago on December 21, 2016. Sharing her experience of being the donor, Reimold explained that many people fear it, but being the donor twice herself, she said, it is not “as scary as it sounds.” 

Their TikTok video with the overlay text, "Pilot comes back to hug bone marrow donor that saved his life eight years ago," garnered attention and love from people. Viewers couldn't hold back their emotions and praised them both. "Donors are special people!" wrote @mickey_tn_life. @jodyrommel1 commented, "What a special moment for both of them! God bless you both!" @jaynkirpa penned, "The most giving people are the most humble."

You can follow @laurasellshouston on TikTok for more videos. 

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