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U-D Jesuit junior to receive bone marrow transplant in his battle with rare blood disease
Detroit – Carson Toepfer is facing yet another hurdle in his quest to compete in lacrosse and football at U-D Jesuit.
On Oct. 30, 2016, Carson Toepfer, now 17 and a junior at U-D, was diagnosed with aplastic anemia, a rare blood disorder that fewer than 1,000 in the U.S. have been diagnosed with.
Toepfer, initially, received treatment, including blood transfusions, to kill his immune system with the hope that it would stop the disease from attacking his bone marrow.
State Champs reported on Toepfer and his battle with the disease in November. Toepfer made progress and was able to return to school after missing a number of weeks.
Recently his condition has changed. He’ll receive a bone marrow transplant, one of the options in treating aplastic anemia, later this month. On Oct. 17 he will begin chemotherapy treatment before the bone marrow transplant.
If all goes well Toepfer is expected to be hospitalized for a month or so and afterward would continue his recovery at home for an additional month or so. Its possible Toepfer could return to school in late spring. It’s also possible he’ll miss the rest of the 2017-18 school year.
Toepfer remains optimistic throughout the whole ordeal. The opportunity to play lacrosse and football are motivating factors. He played both sports since his freshman year and has aspirations of playing lacrosse in college.
“There’s a small chance I could return to lacrosse but, luckily, I should be back for next football season,” he said.
