Alicia Hermo-Weaver's sisters gave her the gift of life — twice.

After a year of battling chronic myelogenous leukemia with little success, Alicia's doctors sent her to Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center for a bone-marrow transplant. Luckily, her sister Kara was a perfect match.

"I still remember her insisting on being with me in the hospital room when her marrow was being infused into me," Alicia says. "We both lay there laughing and crying, wearing matching pajamas in honor of how we would forever be connected. I am here today, 100 percent healthy, because of my sister's body and soul."

Five years after her transplant, Alicia faced another challenge. Although she and her husband, Philip, had preserved embryos since before her transplant, Alicia's doctors advised against pregnancy for fear that it might cause her leukemia to relapse.

That's when her other sister, Gloria, "came forward and offered to carry a child for us. She blew us away," Alicia says.

On April 13, 2000, Gloria gave birth to Eli, Philip and Alicia's baby boy. The family is healthy and happy, living in Westfield, N.J. Kara and Gloria live nearby.

"One of the bravest things a person can do is to give of oneself with no expectations or reservations,"Alicia says. "I will forever be grateful to Kara and Gloria. They gave me the greatest gift: the gift of life."

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