A Lakeland man traveled to New York City this week to thank a firefighter for ultimately saving his life.

John Ciempa, 66, is lucky to be alive to tell his story. He was diagnosed with a blood related disease called myelodysplastic syndrome in 2010.

After several forms of treatment, it didn’t look good for him.

“There were times where I thought I was not going to live,” he said.

He needed a bone marrow transplant.

“With the first transplant, the donor fell through,” he said.

Doctors tried again, this time with a different donor. He said his doctors at Moffitt Cancer Center wanted to try a different type of treatment. It’s one that was similar to bone marrow where the donor gives their stem cells.

Ciempa got the treatment but his body didn’t accept the stem cells right away.

“I ended up with a number of diseases--I was sick," he said. "The whole transplant normally would take one month... I was in the hospital for two and a half months,” he said.

Fighting for his life with his wife by his side, Ciempa knew that if he survived he had to thank the man who donated his stem cells and saved his life.

This week the couple got travel to New York City to do that and then some.

“We were there and when he came out," he said. "I mean he is six foot seven..I went to give him a hug and I was buried...The guy was just unbelievable,” he said.

“I just I was…goose bumps, tears," said wife Debra. "John could even say that he could see from the stage that I had teared up.”

Their tears were followed by shock when they learned the man who saved Ciempa’s life was Christopher Howard--a New York City firefighter. 

Howard became a donor after his father was killed on 9/11.

“He could not save his father but he says I wanted to save someone’s father and that’s exactly what he did,” said Ciempa.

Ciempa said he feels like he has another son to add to his family: a man and hero who will be a part of his life forever.

Ciempa said he was told he had to wait a year to contact his donor because of the donor policy. Now that both men were able to meet they promised to keep in touch.