Sam Swartz has a new chance at life now that his health insurance company has decided to pay for a vital bone marrow transplant.

The 44-year-old Neshannock Township man is in the accelerated stages of leukemia and must have a bone marrow transplant. His insurance company, Health America-Health Assurance, would not pay for his transplant because it said the donor match wasn't sufficient enough.

Lori Bible of Hermitage is Swartz's first cousin and the closest match that could be found. Doctors said the match was acceptable, but the insurance company said it would be experimental to do the transplant, Swartz said.

The Swartz family learned Aug. 1 that the transplant was denied and began an appeal process Monday. They learned Thursday afternoon that they had won the appeal.