Hunter's Fight ready for third round

Make no mistake, Hunter Kuzik is a fighter. The St. Albert boy, who is only six years old, already has more macho street cred than many mixed martial artists. He has to fight every day of his life whether he wants to or not. The problem is that he doesn’t step into a ring to prove his mettle: the fight exists within his own body.

Hunter has a rare bone marrow disorder called Diamond-Blackfan Anemia (DBA). This means that he doesn’t produce enough of his own red blood cells so he needs to receive fresh transfusions every three weeks, rain or shine. One of the side effects of this chronic transfusion therapy is that there is an accumulation of iron in his blood and, if left unchecked, that might cause cirrhosis or weaken his heart. That’s why he needs a needle of chelation therapy drugs every single night.

The good news is that he gets a lot of support from his mother Carrie and the fine people at the pediatric hematology program at the Stollery Children’s Hospital. You can help too, thanks to a special event Carrie has planned for the last Sunday of the month. Her organization, Hunter’s Fight for a Cure Foundation of Alberta (HFCFA), is putting on its third annual fun money casino and silent auction. While attendees can all expect to enjoy themselves with this feel-good opportunity, in the end it’s all about helping the kids feel good themselves and hopefully get better.

The program looks after children with blood disorders, not just from northern Alberta but also the Northwest Territories and parts of B.C. and Saskatchewan. There are currently nine children who come in for regular transfusions to treat various anemias, a few dozen that have hemophilia or autoimmune disorders and several hundred others have milder problems. Carrie Kuzik said that as rare as DBA is (there are only approximately 30 cases in all of Canada), she knows of at least five children with the disorder being treated at the Stollery and they all need assistance.

“That’s unusual to have so many kids being treated at the same spot,” she began, adding that it’s another reason why supporting the Stollery’s research is even more important. “To have five of them in one place is amazing.”

Even though Hunter’s name is prominent in her organization, the benefits aren’t just for him.

“It helps more kids than just Hunter. I know lots of people think the Stollery has lots of fundraisers and they have lots of money. There are so many different areas and departments in the Stollery that that [other] money goes to. [Funds from the HFCFA] go specifically to the hematology program. It’s all we’ve got for finding a cure.”

Things are looking a little bit lean for the upcoming event though as ticket sales are very low. Naturally that means that it’s also a great chance for people that do come as there will be fewer competitors for the 90-plus auction items, some of which include a VIA Rail train trip to Jasper, stays at various hotels including Kananaskis Delta Lodge, Edmonton’s Sutton Place and Hotel MacDonald, as well as sports and other items.

So far, approximately $76,000 has been raised and donated to support the Stollery’s hematology program and its research for cures or better treatments of rare blood disorders. This year the hospital hopes to set up T2* MRI, a reliable method to detect blood iron levels that is the gold standard used by major centres in the world. Kuzik said that the HFCFA also purchases items for the hospital’s child life programs to “allow the kids to continue to be kids while they have treatment.” This includes play areas and socializing rooms for the patients, whether they are children or teenagers, and their families.

“They’re just fantastic! They made a huge difference.”

The goal for the event this year is to raise $24,000. Kuzik said that donations could also be made through the organization’s website and she encouraged everyone to give blood too if they can.