ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) — A bone marrow transplant recipient and his donor come together every year to celebrate their victories in their fight against leukemia.
A cancer diagnosis is life-alerting and undoubtedly stressful, on not just the patient, but the whole family.
Chris Costello was 10 years old when he had to be placed on the bone marrow transplant list.
“I was diagnosed with Leukemia and then I relapsed, so I had to get a bone marrow transplant,” Costello said. “They tested everyone in my family to see if they were a match to me, and unfortunately nobody was.”
That’s where Ed Suslovic came in.
“I got a call at my office and they said ‘You’ve been identified as a possible bone marrow donor for a ten-year-old boy with leukemia,'” Suslovic said.
Suslovic said it was a no-brainer, when it came to stepping in to help.
“Two questions,” Suslovic said. “Where do you need me, when do you need me?”
Then 25 years later, the two have brought their families together, going through another cancer diagnosis.
“Two years ago I was diagnosed with Leukemia,” Suslovic said. “Yeah I may have donated bone marrow a few years ago, but this guy and the crew out here gave it back to me in spades.”
Where they could make memories, like Chris’ wedding, unforgettable.
“He’s gonna be up there with me.” Costello said. “He’s co-best man with my brother and he’s also going to be marrying us.”
Chris has since formed a group called Christopher’s Challenge, where they raise money to support patients and families at Wilmot. The group also holds bone marrow drives, educating and encouraging people to join the registry.
