Nursing student saves boy's life through stem cell donation

REPORTER: THE LOCAL NURSING STUDENT WAS A FRESHMAN AT WRIGHT STATE UNIVERSITY WHEN SHE MADE A DECISION THAT ULTIMATELY SAVED THE LIFE OF A LITTLE BOY FIGHTING CANCER. TWO YEARS LATER, THE TODDLER AND HIS FAMILY GOT TO SAY THANK YOU FACE TO FACE. >> HI. [LAUGHTER] REPORTER: WATCHING THIS MOMENT, YOU WOULD NEVER KNOW THESE FAMILIES HAVE NEVER MET. THESE WOMEN LIKELY NEVER WOULD HAVE KNOWN EACH OTHER’S NAMES OR FACES IF KAELYNN SPEED DIDN’T LITTLE -- DIDN’T SAVE LITTLE MADS POMRANKY’S LIFE. >> LOOK AT THAT CHUNKY BUTT. OH MY GOODNESS. HI. REPORTER: 3-YEAR-OLD MADS DOESN’T FULLY UNDERSTAND WHAT ALL THE FUSS IS ABOUT. HE’S TWO YEARS CANCER FREE AND MEETING HIS STEM CELL DONOR FOR THE FIRST TIME. >> LOOK AT THE CAMERA. SAY CHEESE. REPORTER: KAELYNN AND MADS’ PARENTS WON’T NEED THE PHOTO TO REMEMBER HOW THIS MOMENT FELT. >> I’M EXPERIENCING A LOT OF OVERWHELMING JOY. >> AS SOON AS I GRABBED KAELYNN I COULDN’T STOP CRYING. I MEAN WHAT SHE DID IS SO AMAZING, AND WE JUST LOVE HER SO MUCH. AND IT’S JUST SO EXCITING TO ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO GIVE HER A HUGE HUG AND JUST SAY THANK YOU IN PERSON. >> HOW DO I FEEL? HOW DO YOU PUT A MARK ON SOMETHING SO GREAT? I DON’T KNOW. REPORTER: MADS WAS DIAGNOSED WITH A RARE BLOOD CANCER IN CHICAGO NOVEMBER 2019. >> IT’S JUST WEIRD TO HEAR THAT YOUR FIVE-MONTH-OLD HEAD CANCER. REPORTER: THE JOURNEY TO BEAT CANCER HAD A DIRECT PATH THROUGH A PANDEMIC. >> AT FIRST THEY WERE ONLY ALLOWING ONE PARENT, SO I HAD TO STAY HOME FOR A WHILE. IT WAS TERRIBLE. REPORTER: MADS NEEDED A TRANSPLANT AND HIS PARENTS WERE ONLY PARTIAL MATCHES. A PERFECT MATCH WAS ABOUT 300 MILES AWAY IN FINALS WEEK TAKING HER NURSING SCHOOL EXAMS. KAELYNN HAD FORGOTTEN ABOUT A BOOTH SHE’D SIGNED UP AT ON CAMPUS. SHE’D ADDED HER NAME TO A REGISTRY FOR BONE MARROW AND AND STEM CELL DONATION THROUGH DKMS AN INTERNATIONAL NON PROFIT DONOR CENTER. >> I DID NOT EVEN KNOW WHAT I WAS SIGNING UP FOR. I HAD NO CLUE. REPORTER: THEN, THAT LIFE SAVING CALL CAME. SHE PASSED TESTING REQUIREMENTS WITH FLYING COLORS THEN RECEIVED INJECTIONS TO BOOST HER STEM CELL COUNT. DURING AN HOURS LONG PROCEDURE, A MACHINE FILTERED HER BLOOD AND COLLECTED THE BLOOD-FORMING CELLS FOR MADS. MERCY HEALTH’S CANCER AND CELLULAR THERAPY CENTER HARVESTED THE CELLS. UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO TOOK OVER FROM THERE. >> SHE FEELS LIKE AN EXTENSION OF OUR FAMILY NOW. REPORTER: MOM JENN AND DAD DERRICK, MADS AND HIS LITTLE SISTER VALEN DROVE FROM OUTSIDE CHICAGO TO CINCINNATI TO MEET THE SPEEDS IN PERSON. THEIR THANK YOU NOTE TO THEIR ANGEL ON EARTH SAYS "BECAUSE OF YOU, MADS GETS TO GO UP." >> 10 HOURS OF YOUR LIFE FOR THE REST OF SOMEONE ELSE’S IS INSANE . REPORTER: KAELYNN SAYS IT WAS AN EASY CHOICE. MADS’ FAMILY SAYS IT WAS HEROIC. >> JUST KNOW THAT SHE CHANGED OUR LIVES, AND SHE SAVED OUR LITTLE GUY. IT’S AMAZING. REPORTER: KAELYNN GRADUATES NURSING SCHOOL NEXT YEAR. SHE’S INTERESTED IN LABOR AND DELIVERY, BUT IS NOW CONSIDERING WORKING IN PEDIATRIC ONCOLOGY IN THE FUTURE. SHE’S PASSIONATE NOW ABOUT RAISING AWARENESS FOR STEM CELL DONATION. IT JUST STARTS WITH A QUICK CHEEK SWAB

A nursing student who saved the life of a Chicago boy through stem cell donation finally got to meet the boy and his family in person.Mads Pomranky, 3, was diagnosed with a rare blood cancer in November 2019. His doctors said he would need a transplant. His parents were only partial matches.Kaelynn Speed was a freshman at Wright State University studying nursing when she signed up for a DKMS booth on campus. She went through the process of becoming a registered donor and later found out she was a 10/10 match for someone. After a successful transplant, Mads has been cancer free for two years. The emotional meeting between both families happened Friday after Mads' family made the trip to Cincinnati from the Chicago area where they live. "You're amazing. You're so nice. I love you," Jenn Pomranky, Mads' mom said through tears. "I love you too, honey," Speed said. "I'm experiencing a lot of overwhelming joy. How do I feel? How do you put a mark on something so great? I don't know."Mads' cancer journey was complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Hospital regulations were tight, and plans around Mads' transplant changed due to hospitals limiting procedures. "At first they were only allowing one parent, so I had to stay home for a while," Derrick Pomranky, Mads' father, said. "Yeah, it was terrible." Mads' perfect match lived about 300 miles away. Speed was preparing for her finals when she got the call. She passed the testing requirements with ease. In the spring of 2020, she received injections at home to boost her stem cell count. During an hours-long procedure, a machine filtered her blood and collected the blood-forming cells for Mads. Mercy Health Cincinnati Cancer and Cellular Therapy Center harvest the cells. The University of Chicago completed the process. A short time later Mads' doctors said he was cancer free."It was a huge relief, and then every time he's went in for another biopsy, it's always been a relief," Derrick Pomranky said. The Pomranky and Speed families now share a special bond."As soon as I grabbed Kaelynn I couldn't stop crying," Jenn Pomranky said. "I mean what she did is so amazing, and we just love her so much. And it's just so exciting to actually be able to give her a huge hug and just say thank you in person.""She feels like an extension of our family now," Derrick Pomranky said. Speed said the decision to donate was easy, and it did not take a lot of her time. "Ten hours of your life for the rest of someone else's is insane," she said. Speed has become a fierce advocate for DKMS and is passionate about raising awareness for stem cell donation. It starts with a quick cheek swab. You can learn more here.

A nursing student who saved the life of a Chicago boy through stem cell donation finally got to meet the boy and his family in person.

Mads Pomranky, 3, was diagnosed with a rare blood cancer in November 2019. His doctors said he would need a transplant. His parents were only partial matches.

Kaelynn Speed was a freshman at Wright State University studying nursing when she signed up for a DKMS booth on campus. She went through the process of becoming a registered donor and later found out she was a 10/10 match for someone.

After a successful transplant, Mads has been cancer free for two years.

The emotional meeting between both families happened Friday after Mads' family made the trip to Cincinnati from the Chicago area where they live.

"You're amazing. You're so nice. I love you," Jenn Pomranky, Mads' mom said through tears.

"I love you too, honey," Speed said. "I'm experiencing a lot of overwhelming joy. How do I feel? How do you put a mark on something so great? I don't know."

Mads' cancer journey was complicated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Hospital regulations were tight, and plans around Mads' transplant changed due to hospitals limiting procedures.

"At first they were only allowing one parent, so I had to stay home for a while," Derrick Pomranky, Mads' father, said. "Yeah, it was terrible."

Mads' perfect match lived about 300 miles away. Speed was preparing for her finals when she got the call. She passed the testing requirements with ease.

In the spring of 2020, she received injections at home to boost her stem cell count. During an hours-long procedure, a machine filtered her blood and collected the blood-forming cells for Mads.

Mercy Health Cincinnati Cancer and Cellular Therapy Center harvest the cells. The University of Chicago completed the process.

A short time later Mads' doctors said he was cancer free.

"It was a huge relief, and then every time he's went in for another biopsy, it's always been a relief," Derrick Pomranky said.

The Pomranky and Speed families now share a special bond.

"As soon as I grabbed Kaelynn I couldn't stop crying," Jenn Pomranky said. "I mean what she did is so amazing, and we just love her so much. And it's just so exciting to actually be able to give her a huge hug and just say thank you in person."

"She feels like an extension of our family now," Derrick Pomranky said.

Speed said the decision to donate was easy, and it did not take a lot of her time.

"Ten hours of your life for the rest of someone else's is insane," she said.

Speed has become a fierce advocate for DKMS and is passionate about raising awareness for stem cell donation. It starts with a quick cheek swab. You can learn more .

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