A person’s wedding day is often described as the most special day of their life. The joining of two people in a bond forever, showcasing their love, honor, and commitment to each other. For Hayden Hatfield Ryals, the most special day of her life was extra sweet; the cementing of a bond with not just one person but two: her new husband, and one very special girl named Skye.
Our story begins back in April 2015 at Auburn University. Hayden became a bone marrow donor on a whim one day, as she passed a signup table walking to class. She says she signed up at a time when she had started to question whether she had a purpose here. (1) But one purpose for Hayden’s life would soon be revealed to her. Baby Skye was on her way.
The Uphill Battle
Soon after birth, Skye Savren-McCormick began developing petechiae, also known as pinpoint bruises. It would be several months of testing before they would learn the horrifying news that she had juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia, a rare and aggressive form of blood cancer and that she’d need a bone marrow transplant. (2)
Almost exactly one year after Hayden signed up as a donor, in April 2016, she got the call that she was a match for a 1-year-old baby in California afflicted with leukemia. That baby was Skye, and Hayden could not wait to help her become a survivor.
In July 2016 the surgery took place, and Skye’s road to healing would be a long and arduous one. She developed a bacterial infection requiring the removal of her spleen. A second bone marrow transplant was needed afterward, but thankfully Ryals had donated enough for that second procedure.
Skye was then diagnosed with post-transplant lymphoproliferative disease, requiring chemotherapy and yet another bone marrow transplant. Due to the way the bone marrow registry is set up, they required a second donor. Mercifully, they were able to locate one. According to Skye’s dad, “if Hayden hadn’t donated her bone marrow, our daughter would not have made it [to] her other donation. She got us to a place where we could survive this.” (1) After all this, she still suffered further complications such as graft-versus-host disease, a complication from stem-cell transplants. (3)
Family Now
One year after the surgery, Hayden and Skye were finally able to communicate directly. For her birthday in March, Hayden sent some gifts along with a very special invitation: Skye’s presence was requested as flower girl for Hayden’s big day.
But Skye was still in the midst of the fight of her life, and with all the ups and downs in her health, the doctors would not clear her to fly. As the date crept ever closer, she just kept fighting the good fight.
Finally, on the Friday before the big day, Hayden and Skye met in real life for the first time. Skye had been cleared to fly and reported for flower girl duty as requested.
The special day went beautifully, the start of a brand new chapter. As Hayden walked down the aisle before her was her new husband… her future. And there was Skye, a special part of her past, a special reminder of purpose. Stories of friendship and bonding like that of Hayden and Skye remind us of the intrinsic connection we share with everyone. Many people believe that our purpose as humans is to be in service to others, and nothing demonstrates that more beautifully than this selfless act of love and caring for a little girl.
“They are going to be part of our lives forever,” Skye’s mother Talia said. “She saved our daughter’s life.” (4)
