FULLERTON, Calif. (KABC) -- A Fullerton police officer went above and beyond the call of duty to help save the life of a total stranger.
In 2011, Officer Hazel Rios signed up with Be the Match, an organization that matches bone marrow donors and recipients.
[Ads /]
Earlier this year, Rios underwent surgery to donate her bone marrow to a 9-year-old girl in South America. She said the pain and inconvenience was totally worth it.
"I would do it again in a heartbeat, definitely. The fact that I have children makes it even easier for me. That decision, that if my children didn't have a match or someone was a match, I would hope that someone would do that for my children or my family," Rios said.
[Ads /]
Rios hopes her story will encourage others to register to be a bone marrow donor.