Club Wants to Help

This diagnosis hit Michael (14) like a bolt from the blue

Since August 9, Michael’s (14) life has been turned upside down.(Bild: zVg)

A visit to the hospital on August 9 would change the life of a family from the Innviertel region of Upper Austria forever. Their 14-year-old son, Michael, had repeatedly complained that he was having trouble breathing. The diagnosis hit them like a hammer blow: leukemia. Now his soccer club is trying to help him by arranging for him to be typed for a stem cell transplant.

“At the hospital, they examined his blood and lungs. His lungs were normal, but the blood test showed that he had far too many white blood cells,” says his mother, Nicole Nanasch. At that point, the family still assumed it was a relatively harmless infection when they were led into a room with a doctor, a psychologist, and a nurse, but it was clear that the situation was serious.

“He was very brave at first, but…”
“We were told that he had over 200,000 white blood cells and had to be taken by ambulance to Linz immediately. We were also given the diagnosis of leukemia,” says Nanasch. How did Michael handle it? “He was very brave at first. But once we were alone, he started crying and had to throw up.”

Chemotherapy and Its Side Effects
The very next day, the 14-year-old received his first round of chemotherapy, which was not without side effects. “He’s developed a fungal infection in his mouth, so he can no longer eat, drink, or speak properly, and he’s already lost six kilos.”

Hoping He’ll Be Fever-Free
While his father stays by his son’s bedside around the clock, the self-employed florist takes care of the two younger children (ages 13 and 3) and is still juggling the peak season at her shop. If Michael stays fever-free, he might be able to go home for a few days soon, before he has to return to the hospital for his next round of chemo.

„Lasst uns zusammenhalten“

Stammzellentypisierungsaktion am 10. September

Volle Unterstützung kommt von Michaels Fußballverein, dem TSV Utzenaich. Am 10. September findet von 17 bis 19 Uhr am Sportplatzgelände eine Stammzellentypisierungsaktion für den Leukämiekranken statt. „Lasst uns als Gemeinschaft zusammenhalten und Michael und seiner Familie zeigen, dass sie nicht alleine sind“, so die Vereinskollegen.

This fall, the sports-loving teenager had planned to start at the polytechnic, then begin an apprenticeship as a mason or plumber. “That’s on hold for now. We have to apply for homeschooling. Michael has to isolate himself; visitors are only allowed to come by when he’s completely healthy,” his mother explains.

Michael is optimistic
The 14-year-old stays in touch with his friends through messaging apps and remains optimistic despite his diagnosis. “He told me recently that the doctors probably made his illness sound worse than it is, and that he’ll get through this.”