Blood drive/bone marrow registry Sunday for 4-year-old with leukemia

There is quiet concern and worry in the superhero world: Superboy has leukemia.

As he awaits a bone-marrow transplant, the resolve of this Buffalo Grove 4-year-old has prompted his family and super friends to celebrate his courage - and raise awareness for other children battling this disease - with a blood drive and bone marrow registry drive from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 30, at Northbrook Fire Department, 740 Dundee Road, Northbrook.

The drive is co-hosted by the Chicago area blood center, LifeSource, and national bone marrow registrar, Be The Match.

Since mid-October, Bennett Vulykh has been wearing a red cape around his neck following his return from Lurie Children's Hospital after multiple rounds of chemotherapy, antibiotics, blood, and platelet transfusions to treat his leukemia. He wears the cape in tribute to Superman, his favorite super hero.

The cape is actually part of the Halloween costume that his grandmother bought for him. But the way this little boy has magically connected with this cape - and the strength it represents - is an inspiration to everyone he meets.

"Bennett wears that cape everywhere," his mom, Enna, relates. "Even in the hospital."

Last May, Bennett was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a disease that causes his bone marrow to produce abnormal white and red blood cells. A day after his diagnosis, he began chemotherapy at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital. For the next four-and-a-half months, the young boy underwent four, grueling rounds of chemotherapy, and multiple blood and platelet transfusions.

"He's just a little kid, and he doesn't know he has cancer," Enna says. "When he's in pain, he'll just lay in his hospital bed and watch his iPad or play with a puzzle. He'll ask me, 'Mama, how's my blood today?'"

He was really scared at first, she remembers. From his hospital bed, the boy began paying close attention to everything happening around him - particularly the comings and goings of the various doctors.

"What did the doctor say?," he'd ask. "Where's the doctor going? When is he coming back?"

Bennett returned home from his first round of treatment in October 2013, where he welcomed a new baby brother to his home. His family was elated with his recovery, but remained cautious about the chance of relapse. Their worst fears were confirmed this Labor Day holiday, when one of his eyes turned inward. After a battery of tests, a spinal tap was ordered. It revealed the return of the disease.

"We caught the relapse early," says his mom.

Bennett was transferred to Lurie's Children's Hospital, where he's since undergone through two more rounds of chemo, blood and platelet transfusions and IV antibiotics. Radiation treatment will begin soon, she says, hopefully followed by a successful bone marrow transplant.

He's currently at home, and last month celebrated his birthday with a superhero-themed party with his friends. Bennett couldn't wait for Halloween, which allowed him the opportunity to wear his entire Superman costume, including belt and boots. When he went trick-or-treating, he wore his cape on the outside of his jacket.

"Bennett knows he's sick, and he knows he's stuck in the hospital, but he's still a kid," his mom relates. "He's a little boy who is doing his best to grow up."

While the blood drive and bone marrow registry event is in Bennett's honor, she says, it's mostly for the other kids who are battling various cancers in Chicago area hospitals, who need multiple transfusions of blood products, and whose families seek bone marrow donors via a national registry.

Appointments for the blood drive are preferred, but all walk-ins are welcome. Donors can schedule their appointment by calling LifeSource at (877) 543-3768 or visiting www.lifesource.org and using the code 329D. For more information, contact LifeSource account manager Sharon Fulgenzi at (847) 687-8478.

Blood donors must be at least 17 years old (or 16 years old with parental consent). Bone marrow registrants are limited to ages 18 to 44, and must be in good health.

Along with hosting daily blood drives, LifeSource operates 19 community donor centers and 4 fixed sites with regular operating days and hours. In preparation for their donation, donors are asked to eat well, stay hydrated and arrive with proper identification.