15-Year-Old Helps Raise Money for Cord Blood Bank

In 1996, Alexis Hagemeyer was one of the first children in St. Louis to undergo a cord blood  stem cell transplant to fight a life-threatening disease. Today, she is 15-years-old and uses her passion for golf to aid the local cord blood bank.

Shortly after birth, Alexis Hagemeyer was diagnosed with a genetic immune deficiency, eliminating the newborn’s ability to fight off infections. At the time, bone marrow was the most common source for the stem cells needed to repair damaged or defective immune systems.

“They checked the whole world for a bone marrow transplant but found no option”, says Sara Hagemeyer, Alexis’ mother.

Her parents had all but lost hope, but they were informed about a new source for stem cells: umbilical cord blood. Her parents agreed to the new treatment method and a match was found in New York. She was given a survival rate of 2% to 7%, but the results fared far better than her doctors expected.

It was only a few days before Alexis started seeing significant signs of improvement. For a year following the transplant she was required to take medicine to keep her immune system functioning well and until she was 10-years-old, she had to attend regular checkups.

Now, Alexis is 15-years-old, and living life the way any other teenager her age should. She is in her Freshman year of high school and plays on her school’s varsity golf team. Last year, Alexis played in the First Gift Women’s Golf Event, a series started in 1996 to raise money for the St. Louis Cord Blood Bank.

http://stlouisreview.com/article/2011-06-08/critical-funding