On Wednesday, The Coastal Bend Blood Center held an event for a local border patrol agent who was able to meet his life-saving blood donor for the first time.
Christopher Alaniz is a local border patrol agent from Petronila.
Back in May, Alaniz suffered a car crash where he was left in a coma.
Alaniz got a second chance at life thanks to a man who donated his blood.
It was thanks to a life-saving blood transfusion by Leandro Marquez that saved his life.
"Blood can’t be manufactured it has to be given, and one pint of blood is nothing, it is over in 10 minutes do it and be done with it," Marquez said.
Alaniz said he doesn’t remember much about the day of the accident, he was stunned when he came out of his coma and learned what had happened to him.
"I wasn’t really told of exactly what happened until later on, and once I actually got told what happened and how the blood saved my life, I had a lot of mixed emotions I was thankful that I got the blood that saved my life, and I was scared," Alaniz said.
Alaniz said when he came out of his coma he didn’t know how his recovery would go.
"It was because of my life and my family, that I was able to wake up and start the long process of recovery again," Alaniz said.
Marquez said the feeling of saving someone's life was certainly unique.
"It felt good, it felt good to meet this man in person, and hopefully I can do it again with somebody else," Marquez said.
Veronica Alaniz, Christopher's wife says she will forever be grateful for the second chance at life her husband received.
"Thank you! You have a big part of my heart which you probably did not know because you brought him home," Veronica said to her husband's recipient.
