Putting a Baseball Rivalry Aside for Something Much Bigger

It had been 15 years since Steve Karas registered as a bone marrow donor. But two years ago Karas got a call saying he was a perfect match for a nine-month old boy who was born with a potentially fatal bone marrow disease.

The boy was Matthew Welling of Portchester, N.Y., and after waiting the one-year period of anonymity following the procedure, the Karas and Welling families met for the first time at Steve’s home.

Since their first meeting, the families have remained in contact, using the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry as a connection to build their friendship.