Parents Seek Aid for Ill Son’s Marrow Drive

The parents of a 2-year-old boy who was diagnosed with a rare, life-threatening disease are launching an urgent appeal in hopes of saving the child’s life.

On May 23, one day after his second birthday, Steven Thomas-Grant Koss was diagnosed with aplastic anemia, which can be treated with a bone-marrow transplant.

But a perfect match must be found first. According to officials with the American Red Cross, the chances of finding such a match are 1 in 100,000.

“We are hoping to raise money, so we can get the marrow drive going,” said Steven’s father, Scott Koss, a landscape contractor. “This is so that those who will participate by having a blood sample drawn in hopes of a marrow match do not also have to provide the funds necessary to do so.”

The initial blood test, the first step in finding a match, costs $45, Red Cross officials said.

Steven is being treated at UCLA Children’s Hospital, where he was admitted May 3. His mother, Shannon Smith, has been watching him around the clock.

“There are times when he’s real happy and we can’t believe that he is sick,” Koss said. “But at other times he’s really angry, and we don’t know where the pain comes from.”

Donations can be made to the Steven Koss Fund, Bank of America, Oak Brook Branch #2474. For more information on how to help Steven, call 493-4489.

For information on upcoming bone-marrow drives, contact the American Red Cross at (800) 843-2949, Ext. 4549.