A 5-year-old’s life was saved, thanks to a bone marrow transplant from an FDNY firefighter.  

Firefighter Ryan McLean helped save Cristiano Frigoli from an immunodeficiency illness as a result of the transplant, and the Frigoli family came up from Texas to New York City to meet him.  

McLean is a bone marrow donor who volunteered to be on a registry while in the fire academy. He went to Washington, D.C. to donate that bone marrow after he was matched with Cristiano Frigoli.  

The reunion that took place on Wednesday also celebrated other members of the FDNY who have made bone marrow donations.  

“You’re not only giving someone a chance at a cure, but you’re also giving hope to those families, their friends,” said Erica Jensen, senior vice president of communications for Be The Match.  

Over 200 FDNY members have donated either marrow or stem cells, etching their names in a plaque of commemoration where McLean’s name will now stay.