Leo Zapata was born on January 13, 2020, and soon after, the doctors noticed the absence of white blood cells on his blood work. When he was one week, doctors diagnosed him with Neutropenia, and after extensive medical exams, he was diagnosed with Severe Congenital Neutropenia.
Severe Congenial Neutropenia is a strange genetic disorder, which consists of the absence neutrophils on the blood. Neutrophils is a type of white blood cell that plays a role in inflammation and in fighting infections.
Ever since the diagnose, doctors have tried increasing his white blood cells and keeping him alive with a daily dose of an intravenous medicine (Neupogen). Nowadays, this is the only treatment that exists for our son. But at the same time, the doctors informed us that this type of blood disorder usually develops into leukemia, due to the abnormality of the bone marrow. In addition, this disease can also decrease bone density (osteopenia) and patients may develop osteoporosis. Leo’s last x-ray exams show osteoporosis already, which makes bones progressively more brittle and prone to fracture.
Leo has been injected daily with the medicine in hope that his bone marrow could produce its own white blood cells, but after 19 months, there has been no improvement. On the contrary, there have been many hospitalizations. The doctors have ordered for Leo (and mom) a 100% isolation at home. This means we cannot leave the house. It is heartbreaking to see my baby Leo standing at the door asking me to take him out, and I cannot.
Due to all of this, the doctors have made the decision to proceed with a Bone Marrow Transplant. This is in hope to reduce the high risk of Leukemia and give him a chance to a normal life.
As parents, all this time has been very complicated, to say the least. To see how our son frequently relapses, and to spend our “days off” at the hospital, expecting blood work results and mandated hospitalizations and/or isolation. We still can’t believe that our sweet son Leo who is only 19 months has gotten through such much pain (daily injection, weekly or bi-weekly blood draws and hospitalizations)
Leo is a very kind, intelligent, and loving boy, with big hazel eyes. He has an unmatched charisma and he is very sociable with the hospital nurses. He likes to dance and loves animals. Without a doubt, since his birth, he clung to life with a great spirit of perseverance. It’s this sweet and brave spirit that has helps us to continue on this hard path to his healing.
The bone marrow transplant is a long process. Leo will be staying at the hospital for at least three months along with one of his parents who cannot leave the hospital. He is going to have a few weeks of chemotherapy before the transplant.
COTA is an organization who helps children like Leo. COTA assists with fundraising and family support through this battle to save my son’s life.
Donations to COTA in honor to LEO will be used for transplant-related expenses.
Every donation you make makes a difference.
We cannot thank you enough for your generous donation to COTA for Leo!
The Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) helps children and young adults who need a life-saving transplant by providing fundraising assistance and family support. COTA is the nation’s only fundraising organization solely dedicated to raising life-saving dollars in honor of transplant-needy children and young adults. 100% of each contribution made to COTA in honor of our patients helps meet transplant-related expenses. COTA’s services are free to our families, and gifts to COTA are tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.