Support Austin's Life-Changing Transplant

Austin is a 12 year old boy who has dealt with more in his 12 years of life than most people do in their lifetime.

Austin was born with an incredibly rare genetic disease caused by a mutation on the SAMD9 chain. This disease causes him to live in constant muscle and joint pain from an overproduction of inflammation within his body. This build up of inflammation also causes him to have a hive-like rash that covers his whole body, recurrent high fevers, joint deformities, and skin conditions. He is unable to live a 'normal' life because of these challenges. His muscles/joints fatigue easily, the pain overwhelms his body, the fevers limit his time/activities outside, and the joint deformities create a struggle to perform simple daily tasks.

But we have been given a life changing solution.

He has been accepted to receive a Stem Cell Transplant at Arkansas Children's Hospital. This transplant has been done with several other kids very similar to Austin, and all have had great success. We are beyond hopeful that Austin will have the same results.

But transplants are very expensive, even with insurance. The estimated cash price for a transplant like Austins is &1,400,000. And Austin's insurance is telling his family that they will have to pay a minimum of $15,000 of that to cover the medical expenses to the hospital. Insurance does not cover housing, travel expenses, or food that will need to be covered during the process. And for Austin being in a unique situation with his underlying medical complications related to his disease process, the transplant could take approximately 6 months, of which he will have to be in Little Rock the entire time. His parents plan to travel back and forth, trading out time with Austin so that they can still try to work and take care of other family members that are back in Texarkana.

But, at the end of the transplant process, Austin should be pain, fever, and rash free. They are estimating that he will no longer suffer from the recurrent fevers, constant pain, increased inflammation, or hive-like rash once the transplant is over. While the doctors will not be able to eradicate the underlying disease causing the problems, the transplant will allow his body to better manage the effects of the disease. The transplant will greatly increase Austin's quality of life.

His transplant is currently set to begin sometime mid-late January 2025. And while his family is going to ask for nothing more than prayers during this time, I know they would also graciously accept any monetary donations as well. All money collected will go straight to their medical and travel expenses during the transplant, and any leftover donations will be held and/or paid to his hospital account as a credit to cover future medical expenses, as Austin's medical journey will not end with the transplant. He will have to continue to be closely followed for the rest of his life for further treatment to manage the underlying disease process.

Austin is beyond ready to begin the adventure of the transplant process, he is even more excited to begin this new lease on life. "I am so excited to just walk down the hall at school and not be in pain. I am ready to enjoy walking around the zoo with my little sister without my wheelchair. I am even more excited to not be bullied and stared at for my rash and skin problems. While I wish I could have done this years ago, I know God timed this just when I needed it most. He brought me this far, and he's not done with me yet" said Austin.