A Two-Time Cord Blood Transplant ‘Survivor’ is Reaching for the Stars
Bloomington, Indiana – July 20, 2011 – Eight-year-old Joseph Krupski of Woodbury, Minnesota, is celebrating this July. Why? Because 42 years ago this month Neil Armstrong became the first person to walk on the moon, and because July is Cord Blood Awareness Month. While those two observances appear unrelated; they certainly are not for Joseph. Joseph dreams of one day becoming an astronaut -- a dream that would not be possible without the cord blood transplants he received.
In 2005, while the Krupskis were living in Vermont, two-year-old Joseph appeared to be a healthy and active toddler. He kept up with his older sisters, but his parents Brian and Mary noticed that he seemed to bruise more easily than other children. Due to an unrelated issue, Joseph had some blood work done. A hematologist wanted to be sure everything was correctly diagnosed so he suggested that Joseph have a bone marrow biopsy.
Then, one evening in early December 2005, the Krupskis received a call they will never forget -- the doctor said Joseph had Mylodyplastic Syndrome (MDS) with Monosomy 7 and would need a bone marrow transplant. In that same conversation the doctor scheduled the entire family for appointments in Boston to be tested as possible bone marrow donors for Joseph. The Krupski’s roller coaster transplant journey began.
Brian and Mary started researching the disease and soon discovered medical journal articles that said, “The prognosis is poor. Nearly all reported patients have died of their disease.” “MDS is rare in childhood and may have a rapidly progressive course with an extremely poor prognosis.” Their doctors confirmed what they were reading -- without a bone marrow transplant, Joseph would have only two more years to live.
No one in the family was a close marrow match for Joseph. The family decided to travel hundreds of miles west, to the University of Minnesota, Fairview in Minneapolis because this center was known for performing successful cord blood transplants.
It was during this time the Krupskis learned about the Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA). According to Mary, “COTA has been wonderful. We had to move our entire family from Essex, Vermont, to Minneapolis for the transplant. What we thought would be a 100-day stay turned into a 10-month stay. It simply would not have been possible without COTA.”
Joseph received his first cord blood transplant on April 9, 2006. Unfortunately, it failed … Joseph’s own marrow returned. Brian and Mary were given two options. Either let the disease run its course or start over with a second transplant, which would involve serious risks given his compromised health status. They agreed to the second transplant, which occurred on September 6, 2006. The days were long as they waited to find out if the second transplant would be successful.
“Through the stories of families who survived the incredible challenges of transplantation, COTA gave us hope. With COTA we definitely did not feel like we were in this situation all alone. COTA showed us that someone had already walked this path and that hope offered us something that we didn’t even know we needed at the time,” Mary and Brian said.
In early October, they received good news: a biopsy showed 100% donor cells. The transplant was a success. On December 21st, the Krupskis left Minnesota to return home to Vermont in time for the holidays. According to Brian and Mary, “Joseph having, and surviving, two cord blood transplants is a miracle in itself. It was also miraculous how so many people poured out their love and resources to support our family through COTA. We could have never imagined that tens of thousands of dollars would be donated to help with Joseph’s transplant-related expenses. Truly a miracle.”
Today, Joseph is a happy and healthy boy. And he is busy giving back: He speaks on behalf of the Ronald McDonald House, the American Red Cross and Hopekids, and he recently ran in a Cancer Research Fund fundraiser.
Look out NASA … Joseph Krupski is headed for the stars!
The Children’s Organ Transplant Association is a national charity that provides fundraising assistance to transplant families. Since 1986, COTA’s priority is to assure that no child or young adult is denied a transplant or excluded from a transplant waiting list due to lack of funds. 100% of all funds raised in honor of transplant patients are used for transplant-related expenses.
For more information about organ donation, or to find a COTA family in your area, please email kim@cota.org.
