Nicholas the Warrior
(Rinehart family GoFundMe linked here.)
Meet our newest hero, Nicholas.
He's one of our very special heroes who—after all he's been through on his own personal journey—wrote Aidan's name on a water jug in hopes to cheer him up after he endured a season-ending tibia break in October.
It was Nicholas' turn to be the star at the Detroit Lions' Thursday Night Football game against the Packers. Aidan wrote the Rinehart family's special saying on his water jug for all to see: Our Warrior Nicholas.
Nicholas' Story:
Nicholas was diagnosed with precursor B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) on February 26, 2021. When he was diagnosed, we were told that he had favorable genetics and that they were confident he would get through it. And he did! Nicholas rang the bell upon his completion of chemo on May 25, 2023! But just 7 short months later on December 15, 2023 we sadly found out that the leukemia had come back, this time in his cerebral spinal fluid and he would need to have a bone marrow transplant.
After 14 rounds of radiation, immunotherapy and even more grueling chemo, on April 11, 2024 Nicholas had a bone marrow transplant and spent another 35 days in the hospital recovering. The transplant was successful, but it didn’t come without complications. Over the summer, Nicholas was diagnosed with a blood disease from the transplant. The donor cells were attacking his blood cells which caused him to swell and have dangerously high blood pressures. Thankfully modern medicine was able to step in and eradicate this disease after 2 months of heavy medications and hospital stays. And now, almost a year after the relapse diagnosis, Nicholas is finally showing signs of improvement. His bone marrow is coming in the way it should, and he is having less and less hospital appointments and stays.
However, leukemia is just part of Nicholas’ story. Nicholas was born with a rare congenital condition call VACTERL association which affects approximately 1 in 10,000-40,000 births. When I was pregnant and went in for our 20 week ultrasound, we were told that he had a severe heart condition and may not live. Throughout the pregnancy we were told different things about his condition, ranging from his heart to his feet. When Nicholas was born on August 7, 2017 we were in shock when we were told that Nicholas was born without an anus. This threw us into a tailspin, but was the blessing because they were able to discover other health issues that were never detected through his ultrasounds.
This is only the medical journey of Nicholas. To know him is to know how full of life and tenacity he is. His joy is infectious, and his personality is as big as they come. He dances everywhere he goes, plays his music playlist loud enough for everyone to hear, and can throw a football with a perfect spiral. He loves his brothers deeply and would do anything to make them smile. We are incredibly grateful to have such a warrior to show us that life is a beautiful blessing and any obstacle can be overcome.
We are hopeful he will return to in person school this spring. Nicholas is excited for Christmas with his big brother Ben and baby brother Henry. He is back to dancing all over the house, playing pop a shot and legos, and just having fun being a kid. We are hopeful this will one day be a distant memory, and are incredibly thankful for modern medicine and support from our friends, family and community that have been by our side through this journey.
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Nicholas is the personification of the saying "live life to the fullest." He doesn't let setbacks stop him from being innately good, kind, and humble. He is, in every sense of the word, a warrior, and inspires all of us at the House of Hutch to fight our own battles with as much joy and tenacity as him. That's why he's our hero.
Please consider donating to the Rinehart family GoFundMe below to help them navigate this holiday season with peace of mind.
Love Always,
Team Hutch