"You start to feel like there's this temptation of fate," she said. "Once your allusion of permanence is shattered, you feel like anything could happen."

But it was exactly this that made her want to go through with it. After planning so many funerals, going to the hospital to give bone marrow that would help a young boy and his family seemed the right thing to do.

Losing time with her own relatives made her adamant about the ability to help give more time to someone else.

In June, she underwent physical tests and surgery to extract the bone marrow. She felt mostly OK like she had fallen on ice and "got out of laundry for a few days." She knows she can't speak for all donors, but for her, it was a fairly swift recovery.

She thought of the child's family. She remembered her four children at age 7.

"I remember how little they were," she said. "You just want to protect them."

She doesn't know anything more about the boy, and DMKS can't release more information because of privacy laws. His family can reach out to her, but Leone says she's not expecting any communication because she is sure they have plenty going on with him undergoing treatment.

But she isn't seeking gratitude. In fact, she feels she has been given a gift. The thought that perhaps she is able to help is a bright spot in a tough year.

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Chicago mom of 4 donates bone marrow to 7-year-old boy she doesn't know. 'You just want to protect them.' - Herald & Review