Broward County

A long-awaited meeting between ‘blood brothers’


Donor and recipient: Richie Smith, left, meets Ralf Dworak for the first time, more than a decade after Dworak donated bone marrow to Smith.
Donor and recipient: Richie Smith, left, meets Ralf Dworak for the first time, more than a decade after Dworak donated bone marrow to Smith. Sun Sentinel

Richie Smith stares at the slip of paper in his hand, his last chance to memorize what he has written for this moment.

“Words cannot express my gratitude to you for giving me a second chance in life,’’ it begins.

Waiting at Miami International Airport recently, Richie sips a cup of coffee to soothe his nerves. The flight from Europe has landed. He is on the lookout for the German man he calls his “blood brother.’’

Read the full story at Sun-Sentinel.com

This story was originally published August 31, 2015 at 10:18 PM with the headline "A long-awaited meeting between ‘blood brothers’."

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