Back in September 2015, longtime Lehigh County Deputy Sheriff Sherry Hanley, of Slatington, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia – a cancer that affects a person’s blood and bone marrow. She was told without a stem cell transplant from a living donor that was her genetic twin, she probably would not survive more than six months.

Hanley’s genetic information was entered into a database called “Be a Match,” now part of the “National Marrow Donor Program.”

At about the same time, in Gronau, Germany, then 20-year-old Hendrik Gericks, with a swatch taken from his mouth, registered his genetic profile into a database in his homeland.

“That type of thing is very popular in my country,” Gericks said. He followed the example of others in his family who had offered their genetic profile.

It turned out Gericks was a perfect match for Hanley.

For him, the donation of his stems cells was a straightforward and relatively easy process, called Peripheral Blood Stem Cell donation. “All I had to do was sit for a while as my stem cells were made available through a blood donation,” Gericks said.

For Hanley the process was not so simple. The transplant, which took place at Hershey Medical Center in January 2016, involved a delicate process of cell infusion into her bloodstream and a long recovery period, waiting to see if the new cells could overcome Hanley’s cancer.

The therapy worked and Hanley is still in remission nearly nine years later.

For both the donor and the recipient, the process is required to remain anonymous for two years. Gericks said he was excited to know his stem cells might be helping someone, even though he did not even know in which country his recipient was located.

After that period of confidentiality expired, Hanley and Gericks began to correspond, sharing details of their lives with one another.

While Hanley would have liked to travel to Europe to meet her donor in person, her compromised immune system and lifelong side effects of the treatment would not allow that.

But, Gericks and his partner, Natalie Mielczarek, were not restricted, and late last month the two traveled to America and Canada. After visiting New York City as tourists, the pair traveled to the Lehigh Valley by bus, staying overnight at the Hotel Bethlehem.

On Aug. 30, Gericks and Hanley met face-to face in a courtroom adjacent to the Lehigh County Sheriff’s Office quarters.

There were broad smiles, hugs and many tears shed as Hanley’s former sheriff’s office mates watched as Hanley and Gerick’s shared a long embrace.

“I can’t express how much this means to me,” Hanley whispered to Gericks.

Lehigh County Sheriff Joseph Hanna read a proclamation and presented a framed copy to Gericks.

It read: “For your selfless act in donating stem cells to our deputy, Sherry Hanley, who was stricken with acute myeloid leukemia, we are eternally grateful for your generosity and ultimately saving our sister, Sherry. May you have peace and solace in knowing that you personify every aspect of nobleness in our human mankind.”

Hanna got a loud laugh from Gericks as he said, “You are now one of us. I can’t deputize you, but I can give you a deputy’s uniform patch to take back home with you.”

Although a bit awed by all the attention, Hanley said she hoped the ceremony would help more people become aware of the ravages of leukemia and the importance of stepping forward as stem cell donors.