Mike Hoss / Eyewitness News
Email: mhoss@wwltv.com | Twitter: @mhosswwl
For Chad and Kasi Treser watching a little league baseball game is the first genuine moment of family normalcy they've enjoyed in almost a year.
They're the parents of 11-month-old Kohen. We first met them six months ago with Kohen battling a rare blood disorder known as Wiskott Aldrich, a syndrome that also attacks his immune system. A cold, a virus or a simple fall could kill him.
"I mean one kid falls on him, we have to go to the ER right away,” said Kasi Treser. “He can bleed to death.”
Kohen likely wouldn't live beyond 10 years without a live-saving bone marrow transplant, but getting it meant the doctors would have to surgically remove marrow from Kohen's older brother, five-year-old Aiden, who happened to be a perfect match.
"I think for a five-year-old to have that much responsibility, you know it saddened me, but I was so proud of him,” said Kasi Treser.
After Thanksgiving, Kasi and Kohen moved to a hospital in Cincinnati that specializes in bone marrow transplants, and on Dec. 22, the 11-hour surgical process began.
“He was clearly nervous and I told him, It's going to be ok and we're going to be right here and we're not leaving, said Kasi Treser. “And he looked up at me and said I don't want to do it, but I’m going to do it because I love my brother and I want to see you smile. My heart just melted.”
It has been six arduous months – one step forward, two steps back -- but little Kohen is out of the hospital and doing well.
"We were just overwhelmed with the amount of people that care and just send positive messages to us,” said Kasi Treser, “and it's really carried us through."
After the operation, Kasi and Kohen spent months living in the Ronald McDonald house in Cincinnati, getting daily checkups separated from Chad who stayed home with Aiden, McClendon and sisters, Taylor and Elaina.
Kohen still has a long road ahead. His immunity is both new and low, which makes him vulnerable. The umbrella, sunglasses and hat he uses are not fashion. The sun's ultraviolet rays can be dangerous to transplant patients, leaving a family still wondering when it's safe to exhale.
"I don't know,” said Chad Treser. “I'm still trying to figure that out. In one second, you're happy, you think everything is great, and then you kind of think about it and realize that we're not out of the woods yet.”
“Little Kohen has endured a complete bone marrow transplant, hypertension, rashes, excessive bleeding and multiple transfusions -- all within 11 months. Next month is going to be a very special first birthday.
"It will be a special celebration, because every little thing that he does I don't think I'll ever take for granted, just how precious life is anymore,” said Teri Treser.
But until then, Kohen will watch the big brother who saved his life round the bases, now optimistic that someday he'll do the same.
