Original published date: 12/10/2024

Resilience in the face of adversity

Kyle embodies the spirit of resilience. As a college athlete and master’s degree holder, he's no stranger to hard work. Despite facing a diagnosis of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), Kyle's unwavering determination continues to shine through. His journey is not just about the challenges of a blood cancer diagnosis, but about having the courage to face it head on.

Kyle's best hope for a cure is a blood stem cell transplant. By joining the NMDP Registry^SM, you can change the game and a life.

In early 2024, during Kyle's final season as a player for the University of California-Riverside basketball team, he noticed he was more tired and had low energy. Even with his symptoms, he continued to push through practices and games, but he wasn't bouncing back fast enough. When the fatigue wouldn't let up, he decided to go to the doctor.

That's when everything changed. One moment, he was a star college athlete and his biggest worries were his next opponent or a difficult assignment, and the next, he was facing his toughest battle yet—an ALL diagnosis. Acute lymphoblastic leukemia is a blood cancer that causes bone marrow to produce too many white blood cells.

As one of the biggest moments of his college basketball career approached, Kyle's family, friends and high school coach, all rallied to support him in his senior night game. They were cheering him on in the stands as UC-Riverside took on California State University, Fullerton. Immediately after the game, Kyle's parents took him to the hospital, where he was admitted and began treatment.

After a few weeks of chemotherapy treatment, Kyle's doctors had decided to try a treatment known for favorable results in patients with ALL. After receiving three rounds of treatment, Kyle's numbers were good and he felt even better. But in September, when he began to experience back pain, Kyle knew something was off. While vacationing with his family, he began to feel tingling in his toes and he woke up one morning unable to feel anything from his stomach down.

His family rushed him to the hospital where doctors discovered a tumor on his spine. Although, his ALL had seemed to be at bay, the cancerous cells had formed a tumor that pressed against his spine causing the excruciating pain. He began radiation treatment and although the tumor shrank, Kyle still couldn’t walk. Doctors later discovered that the ALL may have also affected his kidneys.

A blood stem cell transplant could be a win against blood cancer for Kyle. Patients are more likely to match with a donor who shares the same ethnic background but only 8% of potential donors on the registry identify as Black or African American. This proves to be challenging for patients like Kyle to find a suitable donor. You can help Kyle beat the odds by joining the NMDP Registry. One simple swab can start you on the path to doing something life-changing for a patient in search of a cure.