EASTMAN, Ga. — A Middle Georgia State University student is used to living life in the sky since he's studying in Eastman to become a pilot.
But when he found out he had the chance to save his dad from cancer, he didn't hesitate to ground his plans.
Edward Jolley III is your average college student.
"I enjoy watching movies -- superhero movies mainly," Jolley said.
The junior at Middle Georgia State University's Eastman campus studies aviation.
"Planes are always flying over the top of my house and I said, 'That looks interesting, I would like to do that one day,'" Jolley said.
With a passion to fly, his plans were suddenly grounded when he learned his dad, Edward Jolley Jr. was sick.
"When we found out he was diagnosed with Leukemia, it was just a shock. We were very surprised," Jolley said.
Leukemia is a cancer of the cells that form your blood according to the American Cancer Society. Treatment takes chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
"In August 2018, he had to get sent up to Atlanta for more testing and then they said he needed a bone marrow transplant. That's when they were looking for donors for his bone marrow transplant," Jolley said.
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Jolley says the search started immediately for a donor match.
"They went for his brother first, but his brother was not a match, so they tested myself and my two older sisters and I was the match for him," Jolley said.
By September, Jolley went under the knife to save his father's life, and the next day, his dad received his son's bone marrow.
"It was my time to help him out and it's been amazing to see how well he has done since I gave him the transplant," Jolley said.
Jolley says his dad in full remission since the transplant and he encourages people to sign up to donate their bone marrow.