A father’s love

Amongst the many relationships formed in one’s life, often times one of the strongest bonds formed in life is that of parents and their children. Social studies teacher Joe Mickeliunas’s son Elliott was born this past summer on June 4^th and several months later he was diagnosed with Severe Hemophilia A, meaning his blood lacks the proteins necessary for blood clotting. Mickeliunas said that he and his wife Jenny of the last nine years said it was quite a shock at first upon this revelation, but that they soon moved past it, working to provide Elliott with all he needs to live and safe and joyful life, including by getting involved in Hemophilia research and fund raising.

This past September, the Mickeliunas family participated as part of a team in the National Hemophilia Foundation’s annual charity walk, and as a team raised over eight thousand dollars, with the event itself yielding over forty-thousand dollars towards organizational research and possible cures regarding this blood disorder.

The money raised will go to help fund advances in not only research but also medical technology and studies that have shown promise. Mickeliunas said, “Gene therapy is the most promising of sort right now, [but] it is still in the early stages.” For Elliott in the meantime, once he is older he will be surgically give a port into one of his veins to allow the infusion of the necessary blood proteins into his blood.

For Mickeliunas and his wife, the key is allowing Elliott to grow and play as young boys often do, while also ensuring that he is safe. “Medical professionals still encourage these kids to play sports and be active. We don’t want to treat it like they’re made of glass,” he said.

Globally, Hemophilia remains a fairly rare occurrence, with only 40,000 reported cases worldwide, however often times those individuals facing it can find their medical options more limited that those with more common conditions, however fortunately for Elliott and his family, Omaha’s University of Nebraska Medical Center is also home to a dedicated Hemophilia treatment facility, which can assist with any of their pressing concerns.

To go alongside the charity walk team, Mickeliunas’s daughter Amelia, age five, also hosted a lemonade stand to help raise money for her little brother, so that they could grow up together safely, playing and even fighting as siblings often do. Fittingly so, Amelia’s lemonade stand made five hundred and thirty-five dollars, to be paired with the thousands of dollars raised by the event itself. Mickeliunas said that such efforts are most certainly worth their sweat, as the ultimate goal of this event and ones like it is to “help this kids truly live their lives with as little hindrances as possible.”

The prospects of harm coming to their child can be a nightmarish thought for many parents to stomach, but Mickeliunas said he is hopeful, as his family continues to make the most of each day with young Elliott and contribute when and where they can to someday finding a cure for this condition. “We have gotten involved so we can live with the disorder, rather than having it affect us negatively,” he said.