It’s a Marathon, not a Sprint

The Hubbell Family has a lot to be thankful for.

Katy with her parents Dave and Mary (Photo: Robin Scholz/The News-Gazette)

When 4-year-old Katy was diagnosed with aplastic anemia and lymphoma, her parents, Mary and Dave, were told that a bone marrow transplant was her only chance of long-term survival. Katy’s parents and her siblings were tested, but none were a match. Thankfully, a search of the National Marrow Donor Program’s registry revealed a match, and doctors successfully transplanted the donor’s healthy stem cells into Katy.

The Hubbells were physically separated during Katy’s treatment. While Mary stayed with her at the Houston hospital, Dave and the couple’s other two children remained at home in Illinois. Fortunately, Mary’s mother was able to temporarily leave her job and help provide childcare, which enabled Dave to keep his job and maintain the health insurance critical to paying for Katy’s treatment.

But, insurance doesn’t pay for everything. To help the Hubbells with expenses accumulated from Katy and Mary’s five month relocation, travel, co-pays, and medications, the family’s hometown rallied and raised $30,000.

This was all more than a decade ago. Now, Katy is a high school senior looking towards college. Mary and Dave know that their family has been lucky. They receive messages from families around the world in similar situations. They offer this advice: “Remember, it’s a marathon, not a sprint, and you have to take it one day at a time.”

Click here to read the full article about the Hubbell Family.

To learn more about expenses transplant patients and their families face and how to help, visit The Bone Marrow Foundation’s Lifeline Project by clicking here.