Owen Hogan is fighting a life-threatening blood disorder and needs to find a bone marrow match.
When Owen Hogan’s parents first noticed their 2-year-old son seemed to be spontaneously developing bruises earlier this year, they didn’t think much of it – after all, their little boy is an energetic toddler with a penchant for playground swings.
Then, however, the rambunctious toddler who loves playing with firetrucks – an effort to be like his father, a firefighter with Engine 216 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn – started developing small red spots, prompting his parents to take him to the hospital last spring.
There, Owen’s parents, Kathleen and Tim Hogan, who had just moved from Bellerose to New Hyde Park with the toddler, learned last April that their son had severe aplastic anemia – a potentially fatal disease in which the bone marrow does not make enough blood cells for the body.
“Four months ago, life was pretty good – we had a happy, healthy toddler and a new baby on the way,” said Tim Hogan, Owen’s father. “Then, after bringing Owen to the hospital, we received the devastating news that he had severe aplastic anemia. As he battles this life-threatening disease, we learned that he will need a bone marrow transplant to survive. As of now, we know there is no available match for Owen but we remain hopeful that in spreading the word, the registry will continue to grow and a match for Owen will be found.”
To save their son’s life, the Hogan family has teamed up with the organization Delete Blood Cancer to find potential bone marrow matches for the 2-year-old, as well as the thousands of other patients who are desperately searching for the same thing.
The drive for Owen will be held this Saturday, Nov. 9 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Floral Park Village Hall.
“It’s such an easy process,” Tara Schuh, communications director for Delete Blood Cancer, said of the process to discover whether someone is a bone marrow match. “It takes about five minutes, you swab your cheek, and if you do match, you get to save somebody’s life.”
Owen Hogan, 2, his parents, Kathleen and Tim, and baby brother Ethan, celebrate Halloween together this year. Much to the delight of his father, a member of the FDNY, Owen wanted to dress up as a firefighter. Photos Courtesy the Hogan Family
When Owen was first hospitalized, his now 6-month-old brother Ethan was born, and there were hopes that the new baby’s cord blood would be a match for Owen. Unfortunately, the cells were not a match. No one in the toddler’s immediate family proved to be a potential donor for the 2-year-old, who has the rare blood type of O-, which means the only blood type the doctors would be able to transfuse is O-.
In mid-May, Owen began an intense inpatient immunosuppression therapy regiment at Cohen Children’s Medical Center at North Shore-LIJ, a process that his doctors and family hoped would force his bone marrow to start making healthy blood again.
Over the summer, Owen needed platelet transfusions one to two times a week and blood transfusions about once every 10 days. After three months of the treatment, it seemed as though Owen was potentially responding to the treatment. However, then Owen’s blood count began to fall again after a temporary rise, and in late October it was determined that the little boy was not responding to treatment.
Now, the Hogan family is searching across the globe for a match for Owen.
“We’re so very thankful for the support we’ve gotten – we’ve gotten messages from people around the world,” Tim Hogan said.
For more information about Owen Hogan and how to help, visit www.aheroforowen.com. More information can also be found at DeleteBloodCancer.org.
By Anna Gustafson
