Uploaded January 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
From the Radiolab podcast: In an episode first reported in 2017, we bring you what may be the greatest gift one person could give to another.
You never know what might happen when you sign up to donate bone marrow. You might save a life, or you might be magically transported across a cultural chasm and find yourself starring in a modern adaptation of the greatest story ever told.
One day, without thinking much of it, Jennell Jenney swabbed her cheek and signed up to be a donor. Across the country, Jim Munroe desperately needed a miracle, a one-in-eight-million connection that would save him. It proved to be a match made in marrow, a bit of magic in the world that hadn’t been there before. But when Jennell and Jim had a heart-to-heart in his suburban Dallas backyard, they realized they had contradictory ideas about where that magic came from. Today, an allegory for how to walk through the world in a way that lets you be deeply different, but totally together.
Special thanks to Dr. Matthew J. Matasar, Dr. John Hill, Stephen Spellman at CIBMTR, St. Cloud State University’s Cru Chapter, and Mandy Naglich.
Join Be The Match's bone marrow registry here.
join.bethematch.org
EPISODE CREDITS:
Reported by Latif Nasser.
Produced by Annie McEwen with help from Bethel Habte, and Alex Overington.
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Photo illustration by Jared Bartman
Video by W. Harry Fortuna
From the Radiolab podcast: In an episode first reported in 2017, we bring you what may be the greatest gift one person could give to another.
You never know what might happen when you sign up to donate bone marrow. You might save a life, or you might be magically transported across a cultural chasm and find yourself starring in a modern adaptation of the greatest story ever told.
One day, without thinking much of it, Jennell Jenney swabbed her cheek and signed up to be a donor. Across the country, Jim Munroe desperately needed a miracle, a one-in-eight-million connection that would save him. It proved to be a match made in marrow, a bit of magic in the world that hadn’t been there before. But when Jennell and Jim had a heart-to-heart in his suburban Dallas backyard, they realized they had contradictory ideas about where that magic came from. Today, an allegory for how to walk through the world in a way that lets you be deeply different, but totally together.
Special thanks to Dr. Matthew J. Matasar, Dr. John Hill, Stephen Spellman at CIBMTR, St. Cloud State University’s Cru Chapter, and Mandy Naglich.
Join Be The Match's bone marrow registry here.
join.bethematch.org
EPISODE CREDITS:
Reported by Latif Nasser.
Produced by Annie McEwen with help from Bethel Habte, and Alex Overington.
🎧 Subscribe to Radiolab wherever you listen to podcasts: lnk.to/radiolab!youtube
🔎 Subscribe to Radiolab on YouTube: bit.ly/3I9KI53
🖋 Subscribe to Radiolab’s Newsletter: radiolab.org/newsletter
🌱 Check out Radiolab's Starter Kit Playlist: bit.ly/3sX8f4P
👍 Like this video ✏️ and leave us a comment!
Follow Radiolab:
Instagram — instagram.com/radiolab
X — https://x.com/Radiolab
Facebook — facebook.com/Radiolab
Threads — threads.net/@radiolab
TikTok — tiktok.com/@radiolab
Our newsletter includes short essays, recommendations, and details about other ways to interact with the show. Sign up here: radiolab.org/newsletter
Support Radiolab by becoming a member of The Lab today: radiolab.org/the-lab
Photo illustration by Jared Bartman
Video by W. Harry Fortuna
