The scene was set at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth for the commencement ceremony of the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine on Wednesday.
“We are here to celebrate Ann, who is graduating from med school, and she already saved a life,” Jen Muncy announced.
‘Ann’ is Ann Hollas, a TCOM med student who donated bone marrow in 2020 when Muncy’s son, Cooper, needed a transplant at the age of 6.
“I donated to a little boy with leukemia. He had blood cancer,” Hollas explained. “She was a perfect match,” Muncy confirmed.
In 2021, donor and recipient met for the first time when Hollas visited the Muncys on the East Coast. “He just hugged me,” Hollas recalled. “The biggest little hug!”
The Muncy and Hollas families have remained in touch. Fast forward to this week… TCOM graduation week.
“I actually Facetimed the family the other day,” Hollas mentioned. “They’re going to be watching (graduation) tonight!”
Hollas assumed they’d be watching the ceremony streamed online.
“She has no idea we’re here,” Muncy revealed, waiting for Hollas to arrive at Dickies Arena. “So this is a huge surprise that we’ve been planning for some time.”
“I’m going to give her a big hug,” Cooper Muncy exclaimed. “Gonna be really excited to celebrate her.”
As Hollas sat down for an interview with NBC 5, the Muncy family hid around a corner. Cooper waited for the cue: the question, “When was the last time you saw him in person?”
As Hollas talked about the Muncys visiting her during a med school rotation in North Carolina, Cooper appeared beside her with a bouquet of flowers.
“Wait! What? Wait, WHAT,” Hollas exclaimed in disbelief, hugging Cooper. “Surprise!”
Hollas said helping save Cooper’s life years before becoming a doctor only reinforced her commitment to practicing medicine. She is heading to Wichita for a residency in family medicine and encourages people to sign up to be bone marrow donors.
“She’s a hero,” Muncy declared. “Without her, Cooper wouldn’t be here.”
