Imagine if you can, having a 9-year-old child that unexpectedly turns ill at school. After some tests are done it is determined that this presumably healthy child is diagnosed with a disease called “Severe Aplastic Anemia (SAA)” From this day forward, your life STOPS as you know it!. Now you must switch into survival mode to save your child’s life.

It’s not a bad dream, it’s reality for Jennifer Bourscheidt and Kevin Mohrman from Chillicothe, IL. “Aplastic Anemia” is a rare but serious blood condition where your bone marrow cannot make enough new blood cells for your body. Unfortunately, her son Oskar has somehow been affected by this rare but fatal disease. 

I sat and talked with Jennifer and Oskar and listened to their story as if it couldn’t be true. He’s a dark haired 11-year-old that was diagnosed when he was 9 years old. He should have a long life ahead of him but currently he doesn’t have that luxury. Oskar is like many young boys—he likes working with his hands and plays video games—but since this type of illness attacks your immune system, fatigue, infection, and uncontrolled bleeding is a concern so they must be very careful of his surroundings. 

Oskar is proud that he’s developed a skillset of soldering with his mother. His mother owns a business that repairs cell phones and electronics. He has two dogs both Dobermans—Clyde and Obi—and four prized cats—Cleia & Bean at dad’s house with Yoshi & Zoya at mom’s. He also loves camping. The “Make-a-Wish Foundation” was kind enough to arrange a 17-foot RV as a gift to Oskar which he is truly appreciative of and thoroughly enjoys when he can. 

Currently, this young boy’s life and his family’s dreams have been turned upside down. They’re living through what many would call a nightmare and they need your help. Please text “TeamOskar” to #61474 to join the registry to see if you might be a match for a bone marrow transplant for either Oskar or someone else suffering from this disease. It’s a simple swab to the cheek to see if you’re a match. Unlike other types of transplant situations, family members aren’t always good matches for aplastic anemia.

There’s an event planned for September 12th from 4–8pm at Castaways in Chillicothe. 15% of proceeds for the entire day will be donated. Be sure to stop in for refreshments and a bite to eat. At this event “The Be the Match Foundation” and their volunteers can help you sign up to the registry in person with a simple cheek swab. Your swab will be entered into the database. You or someone you know could be a match for Oskar. PLEASE take a few minutes of your time to learn if you can help save Oskar or someone like him in this terrible situation.