Lucas Kasser
In 1999, Tim and Virginia Kasser were enjoying their two-year-old son Lucas and were looking forward to the birth of their second child. They never expected that their usually healthy two-year-old would be diagnosed with leukemia. However, Lucas started to have noticeable trouble walking and complained that his shoes hurt his feet. A first diagnosis explained Lucas’s symptoms as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. A second diagnosis came quickly as Lucas’s condition worsened; he had leukemia.
“We went right to the hospital in Peoria,” Mrs. Kasser said. “At the hospital, Lucas received a blood transfusion and was transported to St. Jude in Memphis.”
After a week and a half in Memphis, Virginia Kasser gave birth to her second son, Dustin. For the next three months, Lucas was given chemotherapy for his type of leukemia, Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia or ALL.
“Everything was in his favor, though,” Mrs. Kasser said. “His type of leukemia was low risk, and he responded well to the treatments.”
Lucas’s chemotherapy continued for the next year. During this time, Lucas also received many blood transfusions to boost the red cell and platelet counts in his blood.
“Lucas received many units of platelets and lots of red cells. I really respect all the people that donated those blood products,” Mrs. Kasser said. “They helped to save his life.”
Although Lucas’s illness was a trying experience, the Kasser family remained positive.
“We felt really lucky. During our time at St. Jude, we saw other people that were not as fortunate as we were,” Mrs. Kasser said. “We felt that things could have been a lot worse.”
Today, Lucas is a happy, healthy seven-year-old and has been in remission for five and a half years. Lucas and his younger brother Dustin like to give charitable donations as presents and they have raised money for the Red
“No one expects something like this to happen to their family,” Mrs. Kasser said. “We really have to thank blood donors for their part in Lucas’s treatment. Even though donating blood may seem impersonal, it is a very concrete thing people can do to save lives. When people hear about our experience, I encourage them to consider a donation to the Red Cross in Lucas’s honor.”