Boy Saves Dad's Life With Stem Cell Donation

A Young Hero’s Gift: Stem Cell Donation Saves a Father’s Life

In a heartwarming story of family, courage, and medical innovation, a 9-year-old boy from Los Angeles has become the youngest person in the history of Cedars-Sinai to donate stem cells. His act of kindness is credited with potentially saving his father’s life after he was diagnosed with leukemia.

Dr. Nick Mondek, an anesthesiologist in the Los Angeles area, was first diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in 2022. He received a successful stem cell transplant from his older brother, which helped put his cancer into remission. However, the disease returned earlier this year, and his brother was no longer eligible to donate. This posed a new challenge for Dr. Mondek’s medical team.

“We followed every clinical protocol, but the disease still managed to come back,” said Dr. Ronald Paquette, clinical director of the Stem Cell and Bone Marrow Transplant Program at Cedars-Sinai Cancer. “We had a new problem on our hands: How could we treat his cancer a second time around and have a better chance that it doesn’t return?”

The care team searched for potential donors among relatives and through the National Bone Marrow Registry, but they came up empty. Eventually, Dr. Mondek remembered a close friend who had received a donation from his son when he was battling lymphoma. This sparked a new idea: What if a younger donor could be a match?

After some research, Dr. Paquette confirmed that there was a possibility of a half-match working. Stephen, Dr. Mondek’s son, shares half of his DNA with his father, and if their immune systems were compatible, this half-match might actually be more effective in fighting the cancer.

“This half-match could recognize and kill cancer cells more effectively in Dad’s bone marrow,” Dr. Mondek explained. “My brother was a perfect match before, but Stephen might have been a better candidate in the long run.”

The conversation with Stephen was simple and direct. “I said, ‘Hey, Buddy, Dad’s sick and they need someone to give me stem cells, and they want to know if you want to get tested to see if you can do it.’” Stephen didn’t hesitate. “When do we go?” he asked.

Following several weeks of testing, blood work, and shots, the father-son duo arrived at Cedars-Sinai for the procedure. It was described as a “high-risk procedure” by hospital staff. Stephen spent several hours in the pediatric intensive care unit with a catheter inserted into a vein in his neck. His stem cells were separated from his blood and frozen, and then the family returned home for the night.

A week later, Dr. Mondek was admitted for a six-day stay where he received chemotherapy to suppress his immune system so that his body wouldn’t reject the donation. The transplant took place, and according to Dr. Paquette, “Transplant day is always dramatic. The patient knows that they cannot survive without the stem cells, and the delivery of the stem cells into their body is like a rebirth. We call that day their stem cell birthday.”

Dr. Mondek remained in the hospital for two more weeks as medical staff monitored the newly transplanted stem cells. During this time, he could not see his family in person due to the delicate nature of his health.

On August 16, Dr. Mondek and his new immune system were discharged from Cedars-Sinai and returned home. “Everything lined up for this,” Dr. Mondek said. “Dr. Paquette said the perfect donor for me would be someone who’s young and healthy and a 50% match, and we found him. He was right here in front of us.”

While Dr. Mondek is not out of the woods yet, it will take a year or more to determine if the new immune system can beat back his leukemia. Dr. Paquette remains optimistic about his prognosis. “Most of the time a transplant is a cure. That’s why we love transplants,” he said.

The family shares in that optimism, and Stephen, who turned 10 last month, has no regrets. “I felt good helping my dad,” he said, “and it felt good to have him home.”