Hello everyone, my name is Alexis Acosta and I am writing this on behalf of my cousin Nicholas Swandrak.

Nicholas is 20 years old, a gamer, a joker, a student, a son, a grandson, a brother, and one hell of a fighter. Since he was 14, Nick has been battling the demon that is B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The unwavering strength and resilience that Nick has shown throughout each test, clinical trial, scan, prick, and prod motivates me and everyone around him to put their best foot forward every single day.

Nick has relapsed twice since 2018, all while getting his associate’s degree at Union County College. Just this December, Nick completed his undergraduate in Liberal Arts and plans to continue his education despite what he is battling. Throughout this, his perseverance never faltered. His happiness around his family, friends, and most importantly, his dogs Mac and Ella, is infectious. After weeks and months spent in hospital rooms and on operating tables, his family was right by his side and will continue to be there every step of the way.

Nick and his family are natives of Cranford, New Jersey, with his beloved father, John, serving the Cranford Police Department as a Lieutenant.

During Nick's first two treatments, he spent an extensive amount of time at The Valerie Center at Morristown Memorial Hospital. The nurses and doctors there know Nick’s remarkable personality very well after years of grueling chemotherapies, spinal taps, and countless sleepless nights.

Much to our family’s dismay, this third time around, his cancer is too advanced, and Morristown can no longer support Nick with the treatment he needs. Nick’s treatment will be at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. He will need a bone marrow transplant, and his sister Lauren is his perfect match.

As the family is grateful for Sloan’s team working around the clock for Nick, it makes a scary situation even more frightening in a foreign place. The commute to Sloan Kettering has also added unprecedented costs that did not incur while at Morristown.

We are praying and hopeful that this will be the last time Nick has to go through this. Any size donation can help alleviate the financial burdens that are looming over the Swandrak family.

Any donation would go directly into commute costs, medical treatments, bills, loss of wages, hospital stay expenses, or personal care items for Nick. Any extra funds would be used for unforeseen costs that unfortunately go hand in hand with these situations.

If donating funds is not something feasible for you, another difference that can save lives is donating blood. There has been a shortage of blood since July 2024, and the blood that is donated has kept Nick (and many other patients) alive and stable on more than one occasion.

Thank you so much for your time, love, and support in these dark days. Nick is such a grateful human being who will kick this monster once and for all.