Mountain youth hopes to play sports and ride his bike again
Austin Huinink hopes to be playing hockey and riding his bicycle again by this time next year.
On Dec. 21 Austin and his family received the phone call they had been waiting for from the Toronto Sick Children’s Hospital for the past five years.
A bone marrow donor had been found and Austin’s battle with aplastic anemia may finally be coming to an end.
“Merry Christmas,” smiled the 13-year-old central Mountain youth when asked what went through his mind when he was told the national bone marrow registry had come across a match.
The registry did not provide any details as to who the donor is or where they are from and he is slated to undergo a bone marrow transplant on or around March 22.
Austin was diagnosed with AA two days before his eighth birthday.
He was frequently tired and had come with red marks on his chest.
Aplastic anemia is a blood disorder where the body’s bone marrow doesn’t make enough new blood cells and sufferers typically have lower counts of red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.
This means they are more susceptible to illness and infection, tire easily and small cuts and bruises can lead to uncontrolled bleeding.
“It sucks,” said Austin, who has essentially had to put his life on hold since 2007.
He had been taking cyclosporin twice a day and some bone marrow stimulating drug therapy proved only partially helpful.
Doctors have told the family that a bone marrow transplant is Austin’s best bet for a reasonably normal and healthy life.
“Hopefully Austin can be a kid again,” said the boy’s mother Anita Huinink. “That’s our goal.”
Huinink said family members were tested to see if they could be stem cell donors and while she was revealed to be a close match, a thyroid condition makes her unable to help.
Austin’s condition also prompted the family to start a campaign to encourage the public to get on the Canadian Blood Services Unrelated Bone Marrow Donor Registry.
See www.bloodservices.ca for more information.
While there are no visible signs of illness, Austin has had to forgo most activities that any rambunctious young boy takes for granted including playing sports, riding a bicycle, tobogganing and roughhousing with his friends.
His activities have been restricted mostly to shooting a road hockey ball in his driveway, playing video games and Yahtzee.
Any sign of a fever means an immediate trip to hospital and a nose bleed five years ago resulted in one of many blood transfusions.
The Grade 8 student at George L. Armstrong has been home-schooled since Feb. 2 because he can’t take the chance of catching an illness or infection from the other students.
A teacher from Armstrong is visiting the family’s home twice a week for 90 minutes to help him with his school work.
Huinink said her son still has an ordeal to go through.
He’s slated to undergo eight days of chemotherapy starting around March 13.
Doctors want to wipe out his immune system so there is nothing in his blood that can affect the new marrow.
Following the chemo, Austin will have the new marrow put in his blood stream through a chest catheter.
He will then remain in a quarantined room for another three or four weeks for observation to ensure his body is accepting the new marrow and that it’s working.
If all goes well, Austin should be back home in late April or early May and then he has to take it easy for another six to nine months before resuming any major physical activity.
He’s not expected to return to school until next October.
Austin admits to being a little nervous about the coming weeks.
“It’s kind of scary,” he said.
With no visitors allowed while he’s in hospital, he’s hoping to talk to his friends over the Internet via Skype.
Austin said he’s already thinking about getting on skates again and playing baseball sometime in 2013.
“I haven’t had a normal life for five-and-a-half-years,” he said.
A support group called Team Austin was formed recently comprised of about 30 family members and friends.
They will be holding a fundraising spaghetti dinner and bake sale at the Salvation Army Mountain Citadel at 835 Stone Church Road East on Feb. 17 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Huinink, who is making the trip to Toronto with Austin, said the money raised will be used to help pay for the family’s travel, food, parking and accommodation expenses.
For ticket information call Kathy at 905-381-9410 or email: teamaustin44@hotmail.com.
They family is also looking for donations of baked goods.
Meanwhile, Austin is also thinking about one day meeting and thanking the person who donated the bone marrow, if it can be worked out.
“It would be kind of cool to see who my new (blood) brother or sister is,” he said.
For updates on Austin see: www.caringbridge.org.
