GLENWOOD, Iowa (KMTV) — A little boy in Glenwood named Abe has a rare and serious blood disorder. His family needs your help finding a bone marrow donor for him.
Abe Kuhnert-Hill is a boy that lights up any room — but he struggles with Fanconi Anemia.
"One out of 160,000 people are diagnosed with this worldwide," Nikki Hill, his mother, said.
He is the only boy in Iowa with it.
"It affects the bone marrow and all the other blood components and it causes a lot of other deformities," Hill said.
His mother has one wish, to find Abe's matched donor. That's why this donor drive is being held at Glenwood High School — to register people to the "Be the Match" registry.
"He relies on surgeries right now to be able to thrive. He won't live a normal life like a normal kid should. It's hard," Hill said.
Despite the challenges, his mother is grateful she was chosen to be his safe keeper.
"He has given us a better outlook on life," Hill said. "No matter what he's going through, he always put a smile on his face. It always gives us that hope there is kindness in this world that can help us."
Cale Ferrin is spreading that kindness. He knows what it is like to walk in Abe's shoes — he has Fanconi Anemia too.
"It really is a struggle not understanding or having people understand you're really not normal to society. By age seven or eight, I had over 100 hospital visits and 27-plus surgeries," Ferrin said.
Ferrin wants to provide a platform for kids like Abe by acting in a Hulu show called "Endlings."
"I wanted to become an actor to show kids who are struggling with special needs or going through what I went through to have that joy... seeing someone on TV just like them or similar to them," Ferrin said.
Abe is traveling a hard road but it's not without a lot of love and support.
"You're gonna thrive through all this, you've got it, you're gonna kick its butt," Ferrin said. "Go ahead, have some fun, you've got this Abe."
To join the registry to find Abe's donor, click here.
We first met Abe a little more than a week ago:
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