It was three days before my journey to the UK to compete in the World Indoor Singles and Welsh Grand Prix Singles.
I had a window of a few days in between both events and considered the possibility of going to Germany to meet Max Walter, the boy I donated bone marrow to at the end of 2008.
I had been given Max's family contact details earlier in the year and was always a bit nervous to make contact. I decided to email his family and see if they would be interested in meeting. I included a photo of my family in the email.
Everyday I checked my email waiting for a reply with no answer.
I thought if I had no response I would try and call them on the phone number provided.
This would depend on when I was finished at the World Indoor Singles as I could then travel to Germany.
After a close first round loss, I decided to try and call Germany. I sat with the phone number in hand for a while building the courage.
Would they want to meet me? Would they even speak English? How much would this expedition cost?
I finally called and Max's dad Thomas answered the phone.
He was a little confused at first and then when he realised who I was, he said he would be glad to meet me.
As he was so surprised and excited he told me he would speak to his wife and call me back.
He said that I should be proud as I had saved his son’s life.
He found my original email which was in his spam folder because his wife never looked at any emails written in English.
We then conversed via email as I planned my trip to Germany and he emailed me a photo of their family.
I was able to obtain a cheap flight to Amsterdam where I thought I would stay a couple nights before heading to Mannheim by train.
After a couple of days sightseeing in Amsterdam I boarded a train and headed for Germany.
I was both nervous and excited to be meeting the Walters, who were meeting me at the train station.
I hopped off the train and slowly made my way to the exit scanning everyone for a resemblance to the photo I had of their family. In the distance I saw a woman smile at me and then go out of sight briefly.
I made eye contact again and she smiled again while walking towards me.
It was Max's mum Ivonne who spotted me from a fair distance.
We both had the biggest smiles while walking toward each other and a little watery eye when we met.
Max was about 30 meters further on with his grandmother.
He also had a big smile on his face as we walked toward him.
We said hello and I shook his hand before he gave me a quick hug.
His grandmother then gave me a huge hug and thanked me for what I did
As we made our way to a cafe to meet up with Thomas, I couldn't take my eyes of Max and every time he looked my way he gave me a smile.
Unfortunately Max could not speak English which made it a little hard to communicate with him.
Thomas then arrived which was another emotional experience as he thanked me for my donation.
We stayed in the cafe for a while and exchanged stories.
They gave me a photo album of Max's life including a brief explanation on each page of what was transpiring. It was amazing to see what he went through along with his parents by his side.
Max had a defect with his immune system called Chronic Granulomatous Disease.
This meant his body could not fight bacteria or fungi. He was confined to a hospital clinic room where the risk of being exposed to such things was reduced.
Thomas had 18 months off work to help Ivonne care for Max.
While he was in the hospital, Thomas and Ivonne lived in an apartment next to the clinic for four months. During this time one of them were always by Max's side to keep him company and to help care for him.
During much of this time Max was just lying in bed with not much energy to do anything. He had to be confined to the same room and was not allowed to have contact with any other children or venture outside. He could not run the risk of contracting any infection.
With my donation he took on my stronger immune system, which enabled him to now lead a normal life.
That day in the café, Max was just like any other four year old.
I took some photos of him and he was intrigued by my iPhone, taking a video of himself that he could watch on the front screen. He was a happy and cheerful boy and like my four year old daughter Summer, he didn't like sitting still for too long!
A special moment was when he came over and jumped on my lap for Thomas to take our photo.
Thomas and Ivonne were very nice people and showed a lot of love to Max.
They then drove me to my hotel to check in before heading to show me the clinic in Heidelberg where his procedure was performed.
Max had fallen asleep in the car so Ivonne showed me inside the clinic and also where they stayed while Max was there.
They then showed me the hospital where Max was born on the way to the Heidelberg shopping stretch, the longest in Germany.
After a stroll around the shops they took me to one of their favorite German restaurant/pubs for a meal as their guest. We traded more stories about our families, history and each other’s homes.
I was surprised to learn that Max's blood group was originally B and then following the transplant he took on my blood group of A+! I had a lump in my throat when Ivonne referred to Max as being like my blood brother as he has my blood running through his body.
They explained the sights of the area which sounded interesting so Ivonne offered to give me a tour of the area the next day.
The next morning was a nice surprise to see the whole family waiting for me.
Thomas had taken the day off work and they kept Max home from kindergarten to spend the day with me and show the sights of where they live.
I had wifi in the hotel where I stayed so I invited them inside so I could Face-time (video call) my wife Fiona and daughters Brittany, Summer and Indie back home in Australia. This was great for them all to meet and chat via live video link.
They then showed me where they live and where Max goes to kindergarden.
Thomas would often have to translate what Max was saying and vice versa when I spoke.
He was such a playful boy and full of smiles and happiness. He also showed many signs of affection to his parents.
After dinner, they returned me to my hotel for a sad farewell.
Max shook my hand then gave me a big hug.
As they drove off, Max gave me the biggest smile and wave.
In the morning, Thomas picked me up on his way to work to drop me at the station to catch the train for Berlin.
A big man hug and I was on my way!
It was an amazing experience to meet Max, Ivonne and Thomas. To hear the story of what they went through while Max was sick was very touching. They were such a happy and loving family and I am so glad we could make contact.
We agreed we will keep in contact via email/Skype and continue to exchange photos.
Hopefully one day they might be able to make the journey to Australia to meet my family.
People ask me why I ever offered to donate my marrow, which can be a painful experience.
For me, it really came down to one consideration - if one of my four children were ever sick, I would want all the help I could get.
I would not hesitate to do it again.