My nephew, Luciano “Lu” Uribe, is a 13-year-old boy fighting the fight of his life against myelodysplastic syndrome- cancer that becomes acute myeloid leukemia. Lu is a kind, gentle, and funny kid who loves video games, animals, and his family. Luciano has had medical complications his entire life, and his mother, Jennifer, could use some help continuing to care for him in his battle against cancer.

Luciano was born with a rare genetic disease called adrenoleukodystrophy. Adrenoleukodystrophy damages the myelin sheath of the brain, leading to a vegetative state and then death in young boys. In 2014, he underwent a life-saving treatment for his adrenoleukodystrophy; he had gene therapy and a stem cell transplant and was in the hospital for months recovering at Boston Children’s Hospital. He still has adrenal insufficiency and seizures, but he won’t die from adrenoleukodystrophy- such a miracle and a blessing!

If only that were the end of his medical journey. In November of 2021, Luciano’s mom, Jennifer, could tell something was off. Blood labs came back with low hemoglobin and platelets. A bone marrow biopsy confirmed our worst fears- MDS. Cancer. Lu was immediately admitted to Connecticut Children’s Medical Center for chemotherapy. In February, he was admitted to Boston Children’s Hospital for radiation and his bone marrow transplant, which happened February 15, 2022- 5 days after his 13th birthday.

February 20 was the scariest day of our family’s lives. Luciano was rushed to the ICU with low blood pressure and a high fever. His central line was infected, he had blood clots in his neck, and he was placed into a medically-induced coma for a week. He went septic. He nearly died. I am forever grateful that he recovered. I don’t know what we would do without him.

The recovery process is long and slow, and Luciano needs substantial physical therapy to learn to walk again. Since the end of March, he and his mother, Jennifer, have been living at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital as Luciano slowly becomes strong and healthy enough to be able to go home.

Jennifer is a single mother who has done an AMAZING job caring for her special needs boy and we are all so proud of her. She has been living with him from hospital to hospital to rehab since November 2021, taking care of him 24/7. She’s been doing her best to make ends meet, but she needs help from the community to ease her financial burden so she can take care of Luciano.

If you can’t help monetarily, please consider donating blood at your local blood drive! Luciano has gotten platelets and blood transfusions many, many times during his hospital stays, and it literally has saved his life. By donating blood, you are directly helping someone out there like Luciano.

Thanks for your time!