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NORTH ATTLEBORO - John Donahue says his decision to donate bone marrow to a stranger was all about "doing the right thing."

And thanks to that donation, Donahue saved the life of a 22-year-old man who now is an honorary member of his family.

Dan DeJanovich, of Wheaton, Ill., who received the bone marrow donation while battling a form of leukemia, has been in North Attleboro this week visiting with Donahue and his family at their Edgewood Road home.

"It was like meeting a long-lost stepbrother. He's a member of my family now." Donahue said.

DeJanovich agreed, saying he can't thank Donahue enough. "This guy saved my life. It's absolutely amazing," he said. "I had relapsed and was still going through all the cancer stuff. I had the transplant on Aug. 28 - two weeks before my birthday. If I didn't have the transplant, I wouldn't be here today."

Donahue's road toward donating marrow actually started about 20 years ago, when he was a student at Providence College and participated in a blood drive.

He registered as a potential bone marrow donor at the Rhode Island Blood Center, and was notified in April 2006 that he was a possible match and underwent a round of testing that determined, "I was the guy."

However, donating bone marrow was not that easy.

The additional rounds of testing resulted in Donahue being bounced from the program because of a doctor's erroneous notation that the father of four had a prior heart attack.

"I never had a heart attack, and decided I wasn't going to take no for an answer," Donahue said. "I was told I was the match for a 20-year-old guy with acute myelogenous leukemia. I knew that I could potentially save someone else's life. So, I fought them and got reinstated to the program."

Acute myelogenous leukemia is a fast-growing cancer of the blood and bone marrow. Bone marrow is the soft tissue in the cavities of bones involved in the production of blood cells.

In August 2006, Donahue, went to Massachusetts General Hospital to donate his bone marrow and DeJanovich received the marrow transplant shortly thereafter and began to get better.

Still, the pair knew nothing about each other. Regulations prohibit donors and recipients from knowing any personal details about each other for a year.

Donahue and DeJanovich communicated through a few cards sent through the Rhode Island Blood Center during that time. The yearlong hiatus over, DeJanovich decided he wanted to know more about his donor and asked for information from the blood center in February. Donahue enthusiastically agreed.

The pair initially exchanged e-mails and had an emotional meeting in Illinois in April on what Donahue said was a business trip.

"He planned a 'business trip' to Illinois but we all read right through that. We knew he was coming up to meet me," DeJanovich said. "Normally when you first meet someone, you're kind of standoffish or kind of shy. But we were comfortable right away. We both have a sarcastic side and we were making fun of each other and joking around like we've known each other our whole lives."

The pair also share something else - an allergy to nuts. DeJanovich is finding himself increasingly bothered by nuts, while Donahue has long been allergic to them.

"He e-mailed me a while ago and asked if I happened to be allergic to nuts. I am, and I think I somehow transferred that to him," Donahue said.

This week, DeJanovich traveled to North Attleboro to meet Donahue's family - a trip that will be repeated in August when he celebrates two years since his transplant - the date he will officially be considered cured of cancer by his doctors.

Both DeJanovich and Donahue shared their story in an effort to urge others to consider registering as a bone marrow donor.

"I know I never heard of bone marrow donation before I needed it," DeJanovich said. "I hope someone will read this and decide to be a donor. It could save someone's life."

"There aren't many opportunities in this day and age when you can be asked to do the right thing to help somebody," Donahue said. "This is one of those opportunities."

For more information about donating bone marrow, visit marrow.org.