NEW YORK -- At one time, cancer threatened their lives. But bone marrow and blood stem cell transplants changed their prognosis to one of smooth sailing and sunny skies. So a cruise around Manhattan on July 10 was a fitting celebration for leukemia survivors -- alumni of Weill Cornell Medical Center's Bone Marrow and Blood Stem Cell Transplant Program -- and their families, doctors and nurses.

With a lunch buffet and the playing of emotional songs like "I Will Survive," the cruise, an annual event, celebrated acute leukemia patients who received life-saving bone marrow and blood stem cell transplants.

Nearly 300 revelers boarded the World Yacht Princess, the cruise's most spacious ship yet -- a heartening sign of each year's growing number of survivors.

Michael Schuster, professor of clinical medicine, was as buoyant as the ship itself. "This is the highlight of the year for us all. This is one of the most uplifting experiences you'll ever see," he said. "The strides we've made in treating leukemia are nothing short of miraculous."

Looking the picture of health, and dressed in gauzy summer dresses and crisp khakis, survivors who had undergone treatment this past year embraced those treated a decade ago. Emotional reunions of patients, doctors and nurses created poignant scenes that spilled from the dance floor to the boat's upper deck.

One of many inspiring stories that day had a three-fold impact -- in the form of Aristotle, Socrates and Alexander Manolopoulos, triplets from Ozone Park, Queens. When Aristotle had acute leukemia last year, his identical brother, Socrates -- a perfect match -- donated his bone marrow. Both brothers camped out in the transplant unit throughout the hospital procedure.

When Aristotle's hair began falling out as a result of chemotherapy treatments, Socrates shaved both of their heads.

"When we walked together, two twins with bald heads, people didn't know who the cancer patient was," Socrates said.

Aristotle thanked Schuster and his medical team. "Dr. Schuster is a brilliant man with a brilliant mind and a passionate attitude. He's always smiling. From the bottom of my heart, I'd like to thank all of you," he said.

Tsiporah Shore, associate director of the program, announced that Weill Cornell was the only transplant program in New York state to offer outpatients photopheresis, a procedure to prevent grafter-host disease after transplants. "We're excited to bring this novel treatment to our patients and the state," she said.

An extensive umbilical cord blood bank represents another cutting-edge resource at Weill Cornell. Freezing cells from the cords dramatically boosts the odds of finding donors for ethnic groups with few genetic matches. This is due to the fact that fewer African-American, Hispanic/Latino and Asian/Pacific islander mothers donate cord blood than do Caucasian mothers. Although it is possible for a minority patient to match a donor from any racial or ethnic group, the most likely match is a person who shares the patient's racial or ethnic background. A concerted effort is now being made to make sure that all new mothers are made aware of the importance of cord blood donation.

Umbilical cord blood saved the life of Rachel Ortiz, who boarded the cruise with her brother and fiancé.

"I consider myself extremely fortunate to be with you guys today," she said, tearfully. "It was a hard ordeal, but I wouldn't have changed any of it."

Alfred Solomon, an auxiliary police officer, was at the scene conducting people to safety on Sept. 11, 2001. Having survived at Manhattan's ground zero, he wasn't about to let leukemia be his undoing, but he desperately needed a transplant.

After the team looked through 13 million donors, it was the cord blood bank that yielded a perfect match. "Dr. Schuster has been there for me all the way," he said. "I am truly grateful for his team."

Michael Leviton, a cruise regular and its unofficial emcee, was saved by an unrelated donor from London. He enjoyed the cruise with his new wife; he now works full time at the New York Blood Center, working to bring others the treatment that sustained his own life. "It's hard to put into words all the love on this boat," he said. "I would not be standing here without Dr. Schuster and his staff."