MEET CARTER
Carter is ten years old. He's a big brother, avid baseball player, adventurer seeker, and all-around sweet boy.
Until the Fall of 2021, Carter has lived a very normal life. In August 2021, it was discovered that Carter has Severe Aplastic Anemia (SAA), a form of bone marrow failure.
"We will never forget the moment the doctors told us that our son has this rare disease impacting his bone marrow. We will never forget the moment that our once “normal” and healthy family began the journey that will change us forever."
Carter and his parents began their SAA journey at the Children's Hospital of Atlanta (CHOA). They went to Boston, searching for more answers at Boston Children’s Hospital. In Boston, Carter underwent weeks of testing. His family learned the ins and outs of bone marrow failure and the treatment options for the particular types of bone marrow failure. In November 2021, Carter underwent Immunosuppressive Therapy (IST) at Boston Children's. Carter returned to Atlanta and his team at CHOA while waiting to see a response from his therapy. Unfortunately, the treatment has not worked as his doctors had hoped.
During the time spent with doctors in Atlanta and Boston, one thing remained the same. A bone marrow transplant is the only true cure for bone marrow failure. A donor for Carter has been identified, and his bone marrow transplant journey is scheduled in Atlanta for August 2022.
"We will be the first to admit that until August 2021, bone marrow failure didn’t particularly mean much to our family. Unfortunately, before this time in our lives, we would have most likely skimmed by a flyer or a social media post without acting on it. Like anything, it is easy to do when something doesn’t directly impact you or someone you know and love. Today, our view on this has drastically changed, and so have our hearts when it comes to donating. We now know how extremely important it can be to take the steps to become a donor."
The outpouring of support and love from family and friends, near and far, has been overwhelming and is appreciated more than we can express. Until recently, we have not had an answer for how you can personally help through this trying time. We do now.
We need YOU to register to donate.
We need YOU to encourage your friends and family to register to donate.
We need YOU to spread the word.
Please consider registering for Be the Match by texting Cure4Carter to 61474, using the website below, or by the QR code. Registering is quick, easy, painless, and at no cost to the donor.
