Kyle Moreno
Sponsor: Ikea

Massachusetts
Andy and Sofia (Age 9 and 4)
Primary Immune Deficiency NEMO/ Stem Cell Donor

Andy has spent more than 1,000 days in the hospital. He’s celebrated birthdays, Christmases and New Year’s Days surrounded by nurses and doctors.

Born with Primary Immune Deficiency (PID) NEMO, an extremely rare genetic mutation that caused his immune system to fail, Andy’s prognosis was dire. His parents were desperate to save him. With only 62 cases of PID NEMO worldwide, there was little medical precedent to help them.

Andy received gamma globulin infusions every two weeks to boost his immune response and a daily cocktail of 13 different medications that kept him relatively safe. He had a very isolated childhood, as contact with the germs of the outside world could prove deadly.

Children’s Hospital Boston immunologists recommended a stem cell bone marrow transplant to replace parts of Andy’s immune system. In October 2004, Andy’s baby sister Sofia became his donor. Stem cells from her umbilical cord and her bone marrow were used in the transplant. It was a success, and today Andy lives a relatively normal and healthy life filled with baseball, soccer and football. It’s no wonder that Andy’s favorite phrase is, “Sofia is my favorite sister.”