It was supposed to be one of the happiest times of the couple’s life—celebrating the birth of their second son, Andrew, with big brother Matthew beside them.

But by the time Andrew turned 3 months, Kristin and Justin Akin suffered a devastating blow: Andrew was diagnosed with a rare immune deficiency called hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH). Life had just begun for him, but now his fate and only hope became a bag of blood stem cells from a matching donor—if they could find one.

After learning their oldest son, Matthew, was not a suitable match, the Akins turned to NMDP for help. There was an umbilical cord blood match, and so Andrew received his first blood stem cell transplant at just 6 months old. Sadly, he relapsed—but there was hope: The doctors were able to find a matching adult donor. And so baby Andrew received his second chance at a cure just before his first birthday.

Sadly, the second transplant was not successful, either. Fearing their older son may have the same genetic mutation, they had Matthew tested. The result was heart-wrenching: Matthew also carried the HLH mutation and would eventually get the disease. Without a transplant, his health could crumble at any moment.

Kristin and Justin suddenly found themselves in an unthinkable situation: preparing Andrew for his third transplant and Matthew for his first.

Tragically, Andrew passed away at the age of 2 in September 2009. In May 2010, the parents lost their little Matthew, too. He was only five.

The loss of both boys gutted them with grief. It’s every parent’s worst nightmare—and for them it had come true.

Instead of shrinking further into darkness, though, they channeled their energy outward—into lighting the path for others. There were more kids to save, and more families to lead through the thick fog of cancer or disease.

Kristin and Justin decided to become volunteer couriers for NMDP—delivering donated blood stem cells to the patients who need them. Kristin uses their story to advocate for NMDP and effect real change to help more families.

“Every time I go on a trip, it conjures up a lot of emotion,” Kristin said. “People ask me, ‘Why do you want to do this?’ I tell them NMDP gave us hope. I am eternally grateful to NMDP for trying to save my children’s lives.”

You have the power to save lives and help families going through transplant, too.

Andrew was the quintessential happy baby, despite spending most of his life sick.

“[Andrew] was the happiest, joyful, giggling little teddy bear you ever had met,” said Kristin, recalling her memories with her son. “And he laughed and smiled his whole life. I mean, he was unbelievable.”

As for Matthew, their first born? “He was just a sweet, sweet boy,” Kristin remembered. “It’s hard because I missed a lot of time with Matthew when I was in the hospital with Andrew.”

She said one of the last things he talked about was wanting to go see his friends and teacher at preschool. Matthew probably would have loved kindergarten—but sadly passed before getting that chance.

Kristin gets emotional when thinking about Matthew. “I always wonder what he’d be like today. He was my first born, you know? He’s what made me a mom,” she said, wiping back tears.

“They were just two children who were loved and that were happy and that didn’t get to live very much life,” she said. ”But, I won’t let the death be the last thing.”

Like many families, the Akins knew little to nothing about blood stem cell transplants, the need for donors and the work that NMDP does.

But as their journey through transplant for both boys unfolded, they learned about the important work that NMDP does and how it was going to potentially save their kids’ lives.

“Ultimately, Matthew and Andrew didn’t survive, but I always tell people I’m indebted to NMDP because they gave them an opportunity,” she said.

That gift of hope, and opportunity, is something that she and Justin want to pass on to other families, too.

“I have found that the best way to not always be consumed under that cloak of grief is to focus on other people,” she said.

Kristin and Justin established their foundation as a way for their beautiful boys to live on—and save others.

“The only thing worse than losing your kids is thinking they’ve been forgotten,” Kristin said poignantly. “Starting the foundation and doing this work is a way they live on.”

To honor their boys, Kristin and Justin have become passionate supporters of NMDP’s life-saving mission. And one of the ways they support the mission is by being volunteer NMDP couriers.

“I vividly remember being in the hospital and the coordinator walked into our room, letting us know that the cord blood unit had safely landed,” Justin said.

As volunteer couriers, the couple travels when called upon to pick up donated blood stem cells and hand-deliver them to wherever the patient may be. The experience lets them not only act as a bridge between patient and donor, but also honor the memory of Andrew and Matthew.

Kristin has also become an inspirational advocate for patients searching for their potentially life-saving match. Her efforts have helped get a pediatric drug through trial and helped NMDP secure an unprecedented funding increase from Congress to support more donor recruitment, more patient support at the point of diagnosis, and help patients live longer, healthier lives.

In recognition of her efforts and impact, Kristin received the 2023 Lives award from NMDP, which recognizes individuals and organizations working to save lives through cell therapy.

Kristin said we all have our own powerful story to tell—and we can use it to make the world better.

“If you’re given the opportunity to share your story, which is what NMDP gave me, and it impacts legislators and politicians to make effective change, then it’s worth it,” she said.

And she hopes that when people hear her story, and the story of her two boys, it doesn’t just stir sympathy—it spurs them to help others.

That’s really what I tell people,” she said. “I don’t want your pity. I want you to use that to do something good.”