Hi!  My name is Keegan Thomas Burke. I was 7 years old when I was diagnosed with Aplastic Amenia and Auto Immune Hepatitis.  I have been sick off and on since May, 2010.  This is a rare blood disorder that requires me to have a bone marrow transplant.  My family and I are living in an apartment near Duke, we have been here since Thanksgiving.  I have had to have a lot of tests done in order to prepare for my bone marrow transplant.  I am scheduled to start chemotharapy and radiation on the 25th of January, and my bone marrow transplant is scheduled for February 3rd, 2011.  I will be in the hospital for about 3 months.  Although neither of my brothers, Karter and Karson, were a match for my bone marrow, the doctors have found a good unrelated match.  I have the best parents and brothers in the world.  They are all here with me at Duke.  Karson had to "drop out" of kindergarten, but that's ok because he is really smart!  I can teach him what he needs to know.  My dad is going to take some time off from his job to be with us and help me get better.  

Thank you for all of your help and support and please keep me in your prayers!

God bless you,

Keegan Thomas Burke 

With the cost of a transplant often exceeding $500,000, many transplant patients are unable to shoulder the financial burden of such a procedure. The Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) is a national charity dedicated to organizing and guiding communities in raising funds for transplant-needy patients. Volunteers are raising funds in both Illinois and South Carolina for transplant patients like Keegan Burke.

Born on January 7, 2003, Keegan was diagnosed with Severe Aplastic Anemia, and doctors at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina recommended a life-saving bone marrow transplant. An estimated $50,000 is being raised by volunteers.