SEATTLE'S MORNING NEWS

Secret donor reveals himself as NFL player

Feb 1, 2018, 10:03 AM | Updated: Oct 1, 2024, 7:39 am

(AP Photo/Matt Slocum)...

(AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

(AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

The Kansas City man who was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, was saved by an surprising hero.

Roy Coe received donor bone marrow two years ago. At the time, it was anonymous.

“What’s the donor like and things like that, I did wonder,” Coe said.

Two years later, he got a call from the KU Northland Cancer Center that broke the news to Coe: his donor was an NFL player.

Not only does that player want to meet Coe, he’s invited him to this year’s Super Bowl.

“That is somethign that I did not expect. I never expected it in my life — to ever go to the Super Bowl,” Coe said. “He probably saved my life. I owe him a good, big ol’ thank you for that at the very least.”

The player’s identity still remains a secret, but Coe will get to meet him at the game in Minneapolis.

If you have a Daily Dose of Kindness to share with Colleen, email her at cobrien@kiroradio.com.

You can hear Colleen O’Brien’s “Daily Dose of Kindness” segment every morning at 7:30 a.m. on KIRO Radio 97.3 FM.

everett fire...

Jake Chapman, KIRO 7 News

Local criminal investigation underway in Everett apartment fire that displaced 15 people

Fire investigators have launched a criminal investigation into a Halloween night apartment fire in Snohomish County.

5 minutes ago

snohomish shooting...

James Lynch

1 dead, another injured in shooting in unincorporated Snohomish

A 21-year-old man was killed, and another 21-year-old was injured after a shooting early Sunday in unincorporated Snohomish.

53 minutes ago

chains...

Nate Connors

No snow, but chains required: WSP checks trucks on Snoqualmie Pass

WSP is conducting a chains emphasis patrol over Snoqualmie Pass on Tuesday and Wednesday.

1 hour ago

FILE - A banner for shooting victim Tyrin Johnson is seen on July 17, 2026, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP P...

Associated Press

Bodycam video shows aftermath of fatal shooting by National Guard in Memphis

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee National Guard troops in Memphis last summer trained their handguns on a man as he lay dying on a sidewalk after a guard member shot him in the back, video released Monday by county prosecutors shows. A Memphis police officer can be heard in the footage from an officer’s body […]

1 hour ago

dog shot...

James Lynch

‘The reason I lived’: Seattle woman seeks surgery for dog shot protecting her

A Seattle woman said her dog Judah, a 150-pound Cane Corso, saved her life during a 2024 shooting.

1 hour ago

RV (1)...

Julia Dallas

Councilmember Strauss says Mayor Wilson broke her promise by vetoing RV permit program

Wilson signed four of the five RV ordinances passed by the City Council but vetoed a measure that would have created a new permit program.

2 hours ago

Secret donor reveals himself as NFL player