Texas med school grad, donor gets surprise visit from young recipient

The stage was set at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth on Wednesday for the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine commencement ceremony.

"We are here to celebrate Ann, who is graduating from med school, and she already saved a life," Jen Muncy said.

'Ann' is Ann Hollas, a TCOM med student who donated bone marrow in 2020 when Muncy's son, Cooper, found out he 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 said.

In 2021, donor and recipient met for the first time when Hollas flew to the East Coast to visit the Muncys. "He just hugged me," Hollas recalled. "The biggest little hug!"

The Muncy and Hollas families have stayed in touch. Fast forward to this week... TCOM graduation week.

"I actually Facetimed the family the other day," Hollas said. "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 said, 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 said. "Gonna be really excited to celebrate her."

Hollas arrived and sat down for an interview with NBC 5 as 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 coming to visit her during a med school rotation in North Carolina, Cooper slid beside her with a bouquet of flowers.

"Wait! What? Wait, WHAT," Hollas said in disbelief, hugging Cooper. "Surprise!"

Hollas said helping save Cooper's life years before she became a doctor only confirmed her resolve to practice medicine. She will go to Wichita for a residency in family medicine and encourages people to sign up to be bone marrow donors.

"She's a hero," Muncy said. "Without her, Cooper wouldn't be here.