Grant's Story

In September 2016, the Gibbens family had come down with a cold. After a few days, parents Jessica and John had gotten better but their 11-month-old son, Grant, had not. His eyes and his lymph nodes were swollen and his strength was fading. Jessica and John took him to the hospital near their home in Palm Bay, Florida. After the doctors ran several tests on Grant, they recommended that he be evaluated for cancer. But the hospital didn't have a pediatric oncology facility. So, in the middle of the night, Grant was transferred to AdventHealth for Children in Orlando. In less than a day, they received a diagnosis of leukemia. Heartsick, the Gibbens temporarily moved to Orlando where Grant would spend 56 days in chemo and continue bone-marrow biopsies. Grant was sent home with his family just in time for Christmas, but unfortunately his fight wasn't over.

Two weeks before Grant fell sick, the Gibbens family found out they were expecting a second little boy, Wyatt. For most of the pregnancy, they'd been unable to fully enjoy the prospect of a new baby, often feeling stretched by the ups and downs of Grant's illness. But his return home was a light at the end of the tunnel. They were excited to finally be able to prepare for their growing family. Unfortunately, at 36-weeks pregnant, Jessica and John heard heart-breaking news. Grant had relapsed. The Gibbens knew that the cord blood would be an option for a stem cell transplant and wondered — could Wyatt be a match?

Four weeks later, with a one-in-four chance of success, they received the results that Wyatt was in fact a perfect match — at 98 percent. After a successful transplant, less than 100 days later, Grant's health was better than it had ever been. The Gibbens family moved back home to Palm Bay with two healthy little boys. Grant is now in remission, thriving as the best big brother to Wyatt.