When Brady needed a lifeline, Cara answered the call
When Brady needed a lifeline, Cara answered the call
Brady was just a typical seventh grader. He loved spending time with family and friends, playing games and enjoying life alongside his grandparents and mother. Energetic, curious and caring, Brady is the center of his family's world. "Brady is a very sweet and caring boy," says his mother, Krystal. "He's the light of my life."
Support families like Brady's today: Your gift helps patients like Brady access the transplant they need and focus on what matters most—getting healthy again.
An unexpected turn
It started with what seemed like an ordinary illness, midway through seventh grade. After Brady contracted COVID-19, he wasn't getting any better. Desperate for answers, his family visited doctor after doctor—but they were told it was likely viral and would pass. "They were trying to convince us nothing was wrong,” Krystal recalls.
Call it mother’s instinct, but Krystal knew something wasn't right.
Then one night, Brady woke up struggling to breathe. At the emergency room, doctors performed a series of tests and discovered his white blood cell count was dangerously high. Brady was diagnosed with leukemia. His family was devastated.
Because Brady's leukemia was considered high risk, a blood stem cell transplant from a matching donor quickly became his best chance at survival.
An easy decision
For Brady, hope arrived hundreds of miles away, when a young college student named Cara received a life-changing phone call. Cara had joined the NMDP RegistrySM when she was 18 years old after learning about blood stem cell donation during a college club meeting.
"[Registering] seemed really easy," Cara says. "I thought it would be a great opportunity to help someone in need."
Just four months later, Cara learned she was a potential match for a patient. For Cara, moving forward with donation was an easy decision—and one that would ultimately save Brady’s life.
"I was so happy for this opportunity," she says. "I'm so grateful that I get to be helping someone who really needs it."
Forever connected by hope
Brady and his family are now focused on the future, and he’s back to enjoying golf and the outdoors—which is exactly what Cara hoped her donation would make possible. This year, Brady met his donor Cara for the very first time at the NMDP Gala in Minneapolis. The meeting was extremely meaningful to both of them. Although their lives began in very different places, Brady and Cara will always be connected by the gift she was able to give him—a future full of memories, milestones and moments that once seemed uncertain.
"Cara, you've given me the best gift, a second chance at life," Brady says. "I really want to thank you for that."
Support along the journey
From gas and groceries to temporary housing and prescription copays, the costs of transplant can wreak havoc on patients. Thankfully, Brady and his family received an NMDP patient financial assistance grant to ease the burden to help them focus on his health and recovery. “I can't afford much because I’m a single mom, so having the support of strangers helped so much,” says Krystal.
Your support helps families like Brady's focus on healing instead of the financial burdens that often come with transplant.
Thank you for being available for us and for anybody who needs help with any kind of disease. It takes a huge financial burden off. And that's pretty important to be able to focus on your loved one going through it.”
Krystal
Brady’s mother and NMDP grant recipient