A 5-year-old boy with a rare condition was able to meet the 71-year-old man whose hundreds of blood donations over the years helped save his life and the lives of others.
Five-year-old Wesley Rea was born with X-linked severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID), a disease that affects one in 60,000 newborns. He deteriorates the immune system, leaving the child unable to fight off even the smallest infection.
“I wouldn’t be able to get it close to people. If he had not received treatment, he would not have survived past his first birthday,” said his mother, Vanessa Cruz.
The Weloveu representative, Ana García, tells us about this foundation, and how we can help in the blood donation initiative. In addition, she also invites us to donate blood this Sunday March 13 at Dodger Stadium.
But Wesley’s doctors knew they could save him. He underwent stem cell and bone marrow therapy, a process that required blood products such as plasma and platelets, but ultimately restored his immunity.
That’s where Kazhuhiro Ando stepped in.
Ando is a regular blood donor at the UCLA Blood and Platelet Center in Los Angeles. He has donated blood 236 times over the years.
Ando’s consistent donations were vital to the success of Wesley’s bone and stem cell therapy after the boy’s family was eliminated as a match.
On Wednesday morning, Ando and Wesley finally met at the blood and platelet center, where Ando beamed as he and Wesley posed for photos in front of an applauding audience.
“When you see the face of that little boy. Oh, that makes me so happy because, oh, my blood is doing something,” Ando said.
This story first appeared on Telemundo 52’s sister station, NBCLA. Click here to read this story in English.
