2 Year Old Tristen’s Medical Needs

The last few years, the holiday/Christmas season has been very difficult for the Kulmus family. And this year is no different. Tristen (2), Josh and Tasha’s son, has been in and out of the hospital for almost a month now. December 25th 2018, Christmas Day, Josh and Tasha took Tristen to the hospital. He appeared to have a cold that progressively got worse. He began to turn yellow and was very fatigued. Unfortunately, it was much more worrisome than a cold. He had to be taken by ambulance to a hospital four hours away. There they continued to poke him, and run all kinds of tests, then only one year old. The doctors informed Josh and Tasha that Tristen's antibodies were attacking his liver, and were considering a liver transplant. For the last year, they have been battling this issue. He's been on several very intense immunosuppressant medications. Things seemed to be getting better for Tristen, after an abundance of blood draws, only to be succumbed to a whole new scary, a serious medical condition. Tristen was diagnosed with Aplastic Anemia the week of Thanksgiving 2019 and is in urgent need of a bone marrow transplant. The doctors aren't sure why either condition happened in the first place. They are doing their best to treat him. However, Aplastic Anemia is considered very rare and there are so many unknown variables. Tristen’s sisters were tested to be potential bone marrow donors and the results have come back.... both are not a match. This is heartbreaking to our family as those with Aplastic Anemia have the most success with a sibling donor. We are now in need of an unrelated donor. With this unfortunate diagnosis, something as minor as a fever or cut sends Tristen straight to the hospital. He hasn't been able to stay well. His red blood cells, his neutrophil (white blood cell) count, and his platelet count have all become dangerously low. The poor kid has had to receive multiple transfusions that only bring his numbers up temporarily. Because of that, Tasha and Tristen have had to relocate to Seattle. His numbers are so low that Tristen can't be more than 30 minutes away from the hospital at any time. His family will be spending Christmas in a hotel nearby Seattle Children's Hospital. They have applied and are waiting, hopefully, to get into Ronald McDonald House. But currently, there are no openings. With the family being separated, costs of travel along with the costs of sustaining two separate households have become unbearable. To add to the stress, the family is sharing one (sort of) reliable vehicle, not easy when they are separated by four hours. We are asking for ANY help possible. If all you can offer are prayers, please pray. If you can afford it, please donate to help with medical bills, hotels, food, gas, a car. If you have any resources in Seattle that could potentially help with anything please contact me! Let’s get this little guy better so he can truly enjoy all future holidays. Sorry for some vague details and the brief description, there is so much to explain. For any questions feel free to message me privately. I will update as often as I can and as much as I receive.