Matthew Moser's Leukemia Fundraiser

On March 13, 2012, my nephew Matthew was diagnosed with Early T Cell (ETP) Leukemia. His case was so advanced his leukemia cells accounted for 97% of all his white blood cell count.  The advanced nature and type of leukemia required immediate chemotherapy and plans for a bone marrow transplant.  After undergoing different forms of chemo, Matthew's body finally responded to Nelarabine which knocked down the leukemia cells to allow for the bone marrow transplant.  With no time to waste and to outsmart the cancer cells, Matthew was admitted to Children's Hospital in Milwaukee on June 21st.  He celebrated his 13th birthday from his hospital bed on June 26th.  The bone marrow transplant took place on June 29th with much success. Matthew engrafted quickly, in fact, in nearly record time!  While the transplant was very successful, he has since then had many complications.  One set of complications was from Graft Vs. Host Disease (GVHD) due to the transplant.  Another set of complications arose from the medications he was given to treat GVHD.  It resulted in Matthew having a seizure on July 23rd and being placed in Pediatric ICU.  As of August 15th he is still in the ICU.  Doctors are using plasmapheresis and photopheresis therapies to treat these conditions.  What was originally going to be a 6-8 week hospital stay is now indefinite.  Matt has been so strong but he is desperately missing his home, his bed, his dogs and cats, and ice cream!