Copyright Live 5 News WCSC
TORRANCE, Calif. (KCAL/KCBS) - A 9-year-old California boy is being called a hero after he saved his father’s life with a stem cell donation. Nick Mondek, a 45-year-old father of two, was facing a second battle with leukemia in April when his then-9-year-old son, Stevie, stepped up to help by donating his stem cells. “I wanted to help him get rid of his cancer, and I wasn’t nervous at all,” Stevie said. In July, Stevie became the youngest stem cell donor ever at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. The transplant was a success, and tests show that 99% of his father’s body is now made up of his son’s healthy cells. “He donated 6 million stem cells and saved my life,” Mondek said. “So, it’s not just an honor to call him my son. I’m proud to call him my hero.” Stevie, now 10, has already saved one life and says he wants to be a sports doctor when he grows up.
