(CNN) A high school principal has died after going to the hospital to donate bone marrow to try to save the life of a 14-year-old in France.

Derrick Nelson, principal of Westfield High School in New Jersey, died unexpectedly Sunday night, according to school officials. His fiancée, Sheronda Braker, said that Nelson suffered complications after his bone marrow donation.

The school's newspaper reported in February that Nelson decided to donate his bone marrow to a boy in France after being contacted by Be the Match . The national bone marrow donor program told him that his blood might be a match.

"If it's just a little bit of pain for a little bit of time that can give someone years of joy, it's all worth it," Nelson told the paper then.

In a statement to CNN, Braker said Nelson "was a tremendous father to our beloved daughter Morgan and the best companion and life partner I could have ever asked for."

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