Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 47F. Winds light and variable..

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 47F. Winds light and variable.

K evin Koerner is a 23-year-old high school math teacher from Elkton, Md. who is “really good friends” with Colton Higgins, a 9-year-old Springfield resident. Koerner met Higgins and his family for the first time at halftime during the match between Nashville Soccer Club and Austin FC at GEODIS Park on Sept. 3.

The meeting was facilitated by Gift of Life Marrow Registry, a nonprofit that aids blood stem cell and bone marrow transplants. Koerner met and gave a cheek swab sample to a Gift of Life Marrow Registry representative in late 2019 while attending the University of Delaware. Around the same time, Higgins was a few months into treatment for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.

Higgins was 5 when unexplained bruising landed him in the ER in El Paso, and he was diagnosed with cancer. A bone marrow transplant became his last resort as his cancer progressed despite treatments.

Koerner forgot about being in the Gift of Life donor registry until he got a call in May 2020 about being a bone marrow match. He underwent his donation procedure two months later.

Higgins endured frequent radiation to prepare and received the transplant two weeks later at a children’s hospital in San Antonio. His recovery was riddled with complications, from a reaction that put him in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU)  to infections and encephalitis–leaving him unable to walk or talk.

“Do I ever get to find out what happened to this boy?” Koerner wondered. Higgins got outpatient care in San Antonio until May 2021. He learned how to walk and talk again after some weeks and the family relocated to Springfield shortly after.

Koerner and the Higgins family were unknown to each other per federal regulations that transplants remain anonymous for a year. Around the 11-month mark, Koerner received letters from Colton and his mom, Miranda Higgins, through Gift of Life.

“[Colton’s] note was one question, ‘how many Band-Aids did you have to get?’” Koerner laughed, “I still have those in my room, I know exactly where they are.”

Koerner and the Higgins family signed consent to share their contact information through Gift of Life Marrow Registry, began emailing and then texting by late 2021, and have stayed in contact ever since. The Nashville game was the first Gift of Life event that worked for both to attend.

Koerner flew out with his mom and got to meet his pen pal and transplant recipient on the field. “I can’t even describe how wonderful it was and how much gratitude my family has for him,” Miranda said.

Koerner spent the following Sunday with the Higgins family. One of Colton’s favorite memories was a milkshake bar they visited that day. “Colton is awesome and doing very well,” said Koerner.

“He’s worlds apart now compared to two years ago,” Miranda added. “You would never know that he went through all that, he doesn’t carry it. … He’s very enthusiastic and positive about everything and always sees the bright side of things.”

Colton didn’t just stop at regaining the ability to walk and talk, he re-learned his other passions like swimming and soccer. “He was motivated on his own,” Miranda said. Colton returned to in-person school in April, and he’s signed up for fall soccer with his twin brother Trenton.

“Life is messy and sometimes we’re thrown curveballs. … Living your life is making the best of whatever situation you have,” Miranda said. Colton only seems to see the best.

He’s focused on his piano lessons and the “scary, spooky songs” he likes playing, Minecraft (and talking about it), and his new friend Koerner.

“As hard as it’s been, we’ve seen so much love and joy that we never would have seen,” Miranda said, astounded “to see that someone went through sacrifice in the midst of the pandemic for a stranger.”

Koerner’s philosophy is “Why not just do it?” He considers the procedure nothing compared to the benefits. “Even if I was in agony, … I never wavered from donating because I’m giving up a temporary amount of time … to donate to someone and essentially give them a lifetime,” he said.

People aged 18-35 can join the donation registry with a cheek swab and a short questionnaire. Only 10 percent of transplants use bone marrow collected from the hip through a minor procedure. “If you get the opportunity to donate to someone, you definitely should,” Koerner said.

Learn more about the nonprofit Gift of Life and how you can help at https://bit.ly/3DCMvAH

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