Richards Road to A Cure
Donation protected
Family & Friends,
On behalf of my sister Stephanie and I, we would like to share our dad's story with you.
Our dad, Richard Saporito has recently been diagnosed with SAA which stands for Severe Aplastic Anemia. Severe Aplastic Anemia is a form of bone marrow failure. It is considered a rare but serious blood disorder that affects the production of red and white blood cells as well as platelets. These cells each have a critical function from supplying oxygen, to fighting infection and clotting the blood.
Our dad has been under the care of hematology oncology specialists at the John Theurer Cancer Center in Hackensack, NJ since September 2020. His condition has been a mystery for 10 months without a concrete diagnosis while visiting the Cancer Center on a regular basis. The frequency of his visits have increased to once a week the last few months needing red blood and platelet transfusions regularly. As fast as they are infused they begin to deplete, affecting his ability to perform daily tasks but most importantly his line of work.
After recently receiving this devastating diagnosis we have been informed that his only option for treatment and chance for cure is to undergo a bone marrow transplant. The initial search for a donor in the National Donor Bank did not turn up a perfect match therefore my sister and I proceeded with HLA typing that would determine our eligibility to be his donor, finding we were both a half match. At this time we will both undergo further testing to determine the stronger match between the two of us.
John Hopkins is best known for half match, same blood line success in Haploidentical transplants in which they have developed. It is our hope that our dad receives his transplant from the team at John Hopkins in Baltimore, MD. He will undergo an extensive pre and post op outpatient process lasting anywhere from 3-4 months. Our family will need to secure housing for all of us as we will be traveling back and forth between MD and NJ caring for our dad's needs. With this type of medical procedure you can imagine the costs that come along with it including out of state medical expenses, housing and food. These are just a few factors that go into the reasoning behind the creation of this fundraising page.
Due to his current state of health, the transplant team at John Hopkins are looking to start this process within the upcoming weeks. Any contribution that can be made on our dad's behalf would be humbly indebted with gratitude by our family. Our parents have struggled to make ends meet before even receiving an official diagnosis. While there is relief in finally receiving answers we now face the biggest obstacle of our lives. Against our dad's will to want to have to do this, as his children we feel inclined to take care of not only our family but the one person who has done nothing but provide, support, care and love us unconditionally.
Whether you know our dad personally or not we encourage you to share his story. As this process continues we promise to update this page to allow everyone to be apart of his journey in some capacity. Our dad will need all of the support he can possibly receive while going through such a physically and mentally demanding medical treatment that will ultimately save his life.
Please keep him in your prayers.
We thank you from the bottom of our hearts,
Samantha
Stephanie
On behalf of my sister Stephanie and I, we would like to share our dad's story with you.
Our dad, Richard Saporito has recently been diagnosed with SAA which stands for Severe Aplastic Anemia. Severe Aplastic Anemia is a form of bone marrow failure. It is considered a rare but serious blood disorder that affects the production of red and white blood cells as well as platelets. These cells each have a critical function from supplying oxygen, to fighting infection and clotting the blood.
Our dad has been under the care of hematology oncology specialists at the John Theurer Cancer Center in Hackensack, NJ since September 2020. His condition has been a mystery for 10 months without a concrete diagnosis while visiting the Cancer Center on a regular basis. The frequency of his visits have increased to once a week the last few months needing red blood and platelet transfusions regularly. As fast as they are infused they begin to deplete, affecting his ability to perform daily tasks but most importantly his line of work.
After recently receiving this devastating diagnosis we have been informed that his only option for treatment and chance for cure is to undergo a bone marrow transplant. The initial search for a donor in the National Donor Bank did not turn up a perfect match therefore my sister and I proceeded with HLA typing that would determine our eligibility to be his donor, finding we were both a half match. At this time we will both undergo further testing to determine the stronger match between the two of us.
John Hopkins is best known for half match, same blood line success in Haploidentical transplants in which they have developed. It is our hope that our dad receives his transplant from the team at John Hopkins in Baltimore, MD. He will undergo an extensive pre and post op outpatient process lasting anywhere from 3-4 months. Our family will need to secure housing for all of us as we will be traveling back and forth between MD and NJ caring for our dad's needs. With this type of medical procedure you can imagine the costs that come along with it including out of state medical expenses, housing and food. These are just a few factors that go into the reasoning behind the creation of this fundraising page.
Due to his current state of health, the transplant team at John Hopkins are looking to start this process within the upcoming weeks. Any contribution that can be made on our dad's behalf would be humbly indebted with gratitude by our family. Our parents have struggled to make ends meet before even receiving an official diagnosis. While there is relief in finally receiving answers we now face the biggest obstacle of our lives. Against our dad's will to want to have to do this, as his children we feel inclined to take care of not only our family but the one person who has done nothing but provide, support, care and love us unconditionally.
Whether you know our dad personally or not we encourage you to share his story. As this process continues we promise to update this page to allow everyone to be apart of his journey in some capacity. Our dad will need all of the support he can possibly receive while going through such a physically and mentally demanding medical treatment that will ultimately save his life.
Please keep him in your prayers.
We thank you from the bottom of our hearts,
Samantha
Stephanie
Fundraising team (10)
Samantha Saporito
Organizer
Hamburg, NJ
Stephanie Saporito
Beneficiary
Ray Litzinger
Team member
Darlene Saporito
Team member
Susan Saporito
Team member
Todd Seideman
Team member
