ODESSA, Texas — Odessa Firefighter Ben Denney signed up for Be The Match, a donor service that connects people with blood cancer to donors that could help save them.
"I got a call in 2021 saying I was a match and all they told me was, it was a ten year old boy with cancer for the second time and so I knew had to act and donate," said Ben Denney, a bone marrow donor, Odessa Firefighter and Paramedic.
Denney flew to Washington on his second wedding anniversary to donate his bone marrow. At the time he didn't know it would be going to a young boy named Camden Barnard.
Camden's family filled out a form to try and find the man that helped save their son, and after a while they managed to get in contact with Denney.
"I decided to because I know if I was a parent I'd want to know if some random person did this for my kid," said Denney.
The Barnard family invited Ben and his wife Arelene down to Louisana to celebrate Mardi Gras and to meet the boy he helped.
"He's an amazing kid to go through all that, being 12 years old, and his little hashtag was choose joy and he chose joy all throughout that and it kind of makes my life a lot more joyous, like I can't be down when you got a kid like that, that's so joyful. He's a good kid, a really good kid," said Denney.
Denney recommends that anyone to sign up for Be The Match, to help save someone's life.
"Absolutely do it, go sign up. All you have to do is swab your mouth, it's not invasive or anything like that. It's just one swab and you'll be on the registry and have the chance to save someone's life," said Denney.
Now Ben and Camden will be connected forever.
"Me and Cam are connected in ways that not many people can understand through this whole thing, and I don't think it's a big deal on my part but for that family it's the biggest deal possible," said Denney.
Camden's dad Pat will be forever grateful to Ben and his wife for helping save his son's life.
"When he did reach out he said 'Oh it's nothing' and I said 'Oh no, no, no. It's the opposite of nothing, it's everything, because of you my son is alive,'" said Pat Barnard.