My boyfriend, Gilberto Rubi, was first diagnosed with leukemia at the age of 13. He just turned 19, and this is the fourth time he has fought this battle. From all the ongoing treatment, his leukemia developed genetic resistance to chemotherapy. A new medication has recently been approved called Revumenib. He is the first person in NWA Children's Hospital to try this newly approved medicine. This medication is like a key to a lock that holds off that gene, but if he stays on the pill for too long, a resistance will be built, and eventually, it will stop working. Because of this, Gilberto will need to have a second bone marrow transplant to see if they can completely get rid of the leukemia. Currently, they are struggling to find a donor for Gilberto's transplant. In his last one, his mother was his donor and the best match for him, but since the leukemia came back, they did not want to use bone marrow from anyone related to him. However, because they cannot find a donor, they have resorted to possibly using bone marrow from one of his cousins.

His mother is a stay-at-home mom who takes care of her son, taking him to appointments and managing all his medications. His father is the provider of the family, making sure everything is paid, but recently he lost his job of 2 years. Bills and rent have been coming in, and with Gilberto's transplant that will be soon, gas money is needed to get him to Little Rock, where he will be for 4-5 months for the whole process of the bone marrow transplant. The last time he stayed at the hospital, he struggled eating the food that was provided there because of his nausea due to the treatment. With his dad not being able to work currently, it will be hard to get food that Gilberto will be up to eat. We would really appreciate any help, and thank you for listening to Gilberto's story