John Seay was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in 2010 and was successfully treated with chemotherapy at a center near his home in Cornelia, Georgia. However,  the chemo resulted in a second malignancy that brought him so close to death, doctors sent him home under hospice care. Fortunately, John heeded a recommendation to seek out Winship Cancer Institute's Dr. Edmund Waller, who saw John as a good candidate for a bone marrow transplant. John's transplant went forward when a perfect match was found for him from an unrelated donor.