Published: February 02, 2010 01:14 pm      

Event to register bone marrow donors

BROWNSBURG — Nicklaus Gerlach is big for his age.

At 6 years old, a milestone he celebrated in September, he weighs 80 pounds. Denise Middleton, his grandmother, contrasts that with another of her grandsons, who barely weighs 40 pounds at the age of 5.

“I think maybe that’s why he’s so big,” Middleton said of Nicklaus. “God knew this was going to happen.”

What happened is that Nicklaus was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a form of cancer where malignant white blood cells overpower normal cells in the bone marrow, eventually spreading to organs.

He had just started kindergarten at Cloverdale when he got bronchitis in late October. That led to strep throat. It got to the point where one Sunday morning Nicklaus was too weak to walk. His parents took him to Putnam County Hospital the next day, then Riley Children’s Hospital the day after that. He has been there since early December, when he was diagnosed with leukemia.

“He’s a great little kid, just full of life,” said Middleton, a Brownsburg native who now lives in Greenwood. “He had never had a lot of sickness. It’s so strange. When I found this out, I thought there must be some mistake. It’s something you don’t expect.”

Nicklaus has been undergoing chemotherapy since the diagnosis. The more intense treatments require him to stay in the hospital for up to a week at a time. Middleton says he’s doing as best as he can, despite the circumstances. The side effects of his chemotherapy can be ugly — turning a normally sweet and gentle boy belligerent.

“He gets kind of out of his mind,” Middleton said. “He doesn’t quite know what he’s doing. It’s almost like an exorcism; it’s awful to watch.”

Ultimately, Nicklaus needs a bone marrow transplant. A bone marrow registration event is scheduled for 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Feb. 6 at Messiah Lutheran Church, 801 S. Green St., Brownsburg. Those who attend simply fill out a questionnaire and get their mouth swabbed. Financial donations for the National Bone Marrow Registry will also be accepted on a freewill basis. Those who cannot attend but want to register can sign up online at www.bethematch.com.

A person who’s found to be a good match gets called in for further testing. An actual bone marrow donation is outpatient in nature.

“Usually they say everyone’s back to normal in seven days,” Middleton said. “There is some soreness, but that’s really it.”

Of the millions already registered, none are a perfect match for Nicklaus. His family hopes that changes with events like this. Assuming his chemotherapy goes as planned, he will be ready for a bone marrow transplant in three to four months.



wade.coggeshall@flyergroup.com