Local Washington four-year-old Michael DeMasi Jr. is a remarkable young boy.
At such a young age, he’s taken on the gargantuan task of saving the lives of his two little twin brothers Santino and Giovanni.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
philly
The 4-month-old boys were born with a rare disorder called chronic granulomatous disease (CGD). It’s a disease wherein the immune system does not function as it should, meaning even a common cold could be lethal.
It was found out that only Michael’s bone marrow can save little Sonny and Gio.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Twitter: areamalanzi123
Michael’s parents, Michael DeMasi, 35, and Robin Pownall, 31, are extremely proud of their quiet, shy boy. They call him “a superhero” for wanting to save his younger siblings.
Michael insists though that he’s only doing what a good big brother is supposed to do.
“I want to help them,” he said. “I’m not scared.”
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
CNN
The South Philadelphia couple were only partially surprised when they found out that their newborn twins had CGD. Nine-year-old Dominick, their eldest, was also born with the condition and they were aware their future children would possibly be born with the same disease.
Thankfully, Dominick received a transplant from the umbilical cord of a donor weeks after his birth and is now considered cured.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
GoFundMe
Their second born, Michael, did not have the condition at birth and was therefore tested as a potential transplant donor. When he turned out to be a match, his parents talked to their doctors about the risks of extracting from someone so young. They then had a long talk with Michael to explain what was happening.
Michael was aware that there was something wrong with his little brothers and that the tests were to find out if he could possibly save them both. As soon as his parents told him he was a match, he shouted, “I’m the match? I’m the match?”
“We were straight up — ‘It’s going to be a big needle going into your back, bud,’” his mother told him. “We asked him, ‘Do you want to do this? If you’re scared, you don’t have to.’”
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
fakt
Then the little boy asked if giving his bone marrow would mean that his brothers can finally come home. She said yes. Michael enthusiastically agreed to be the bone marrow donor.
When he was asked if he understood what they were going to have to inject in order to perform the procedure, he said, “Yeah, it’s a big, giant needle.”
Although Pownall and her fiance struggled with the decision, they were finally able to come to terms with what was supposed to happen.
“Part of me was like, ‘Well, he’s 4. Maybe he doesn’t know what’s going on.’ But he did, and he was all for it,” she said.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
philly
She insisted they “were in no way, shape or form going to push anything.” If Michael would have shown any hesitation or fear, she would have enrolled the twins in the transplant registry.
But according to their doctors, bone marrow from a family member who was a match gave her two boys the best chance of accepting the transplant.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.![]()
fakt
“He was all for it and we had a good feeling about it. It’s amazing — he’s so proud… People think he doesn’t realize what’s happening, but he knows what’s going on and he’s on board,” she said. “He’s so brave. He is our courageous boy.”
On the day of the operation, his mother told him he was going to be “a real-life superhero.” Michael was thrilled. During the entire procedure, his mother was an emotional wreck.
“He’s so small,” she added. “You don’t want your babies to be in pain.”
When Michael woke up, he had small welts on his back; but the brave little boy swore he wasn’t in pain.
After the transplant, Michael watched with glee as his brothers received the stem cell transfusion. He was jumping around, shouting, “That’s my bone marrow! That’s my bone marrow!”
When the twins were finally discharged from the hospital two months later, Michael was also there wearing a superhero t-shirt and standing proudly with his now-healthier twin brothers.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.![]()
Washington Post
“I saved you guys,” the preschooler said. “It’s time to go home.”
The post ‘Superhero’ 4-Year-Old Finds Out His Bone Marrow Can Save Baby Brothers, Doesn’t Hesitate To Donate appeared first on Pulptastic.