WESLEY CHAPEL, Fla. - A rare disease brought together a Pasco County man and a 1-year-old boy from Orange County, California. Three years later, the two met for the first time in person.

The backstory:

Nate Wood, a Wesley Chapel husband and father of two, said it all started with a quick mouth swab in 2009.

"It was a simple act at the time that turned out to be something pretty beneficial," he said.

Twelve years later, he matched as a blood stem cell donor for Jonah Hoots and saved his life.

Before Jonah was born, his parents, James and Christina, received staggering news.

"We found out when I was pregnant with him that he was going to be born with this disease," Christina said. "They started looking for a donor for him before he was even born."

Jonah had already been diagnosed

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