Marrow Donor Sought for Des Plaines Man

One former Des Plaines man is fighting for his life, and what concerns him most is financially supporting his family. Neftali Hernandez, 35, was used to working every day before he got sick in 2009. Even after four years of medical treatment, and now going to the hospital twice a week for blood transfusions, the most difficult part of the ordeal, Hernandez said, was not being able to work and support his family.

Hernandez, a hulking, soft-spoken man that looks accustomed to doing big jobs, sat forward and stared blankly at the glowing television in his uncle’s dimly-lit Niles apartment. The second-oldest among the family's five siblings, moved from Oaxaca, Mexico to the U.S. in 1993, he said, and worked as a roofer, landscaper and in a variety of restaurant jobs.

After chemotherapy to treat a blood disease was ineffective in January, his doctor said he could not work, and should not leave his residence, due to his heightened susceptibility to infections.

Abel Montesinos, Hernandez’s uncle, and Argenis Hernandez, his younger brother translated the few words he shared about this struggle.

While Hernandez said he was discouraged by not being to enjoy going out with friends, playing goalie in soccer games and having a few beers, not being able to work weighed heavy on his mind.

“That’s what worries him the most, not being able to work,” Argenis said.

Hernandez moved in with his uncle, Abel Montesinos, and his family about three months ago; before that he lived in Des Plaines. Montesinos drives Hernandez to the Cook County hospital every Monday and Thursday for blood transfusions until a bone marrow donor is found.

Hernandez was diagnosed with aplastic anemia in 2010, which occurs when your body stops producing enough new blood cells, according to the Mayo Clinic’s website. The blood disorder leaves you feeling fatigued, according to the Mayo Clinic, and at higher risk of infections and uncontrolled bleeding.

Chemotherapy treatment was effective in treating Hernandez’s condition in 2010, he said, and he returned to work for about a year and a half before he felt sick again. Chemotherapy treatment in January 2013 did not work, he said, and that’s why his only option is to continue blood transfusions until a bone marrow donor is identified.

Montesinos said the next step was to try to do something that may save his life.

“If he doesn’t get the bone marrow, it’s over for him,” Montesinos said.

However, Hernandez’s strength and resiliency surprised doctors, Montesinos said, who were not optimistic when the chemotherapy proved ineffective.

“The doctors there are shocked when they see him,” Montesinos said.

Others with aplastic anemia have not survived as well as Hernandez has, Montesinos said, due to his strength.

“He wants to stay alive; he’s a stronger man,” Montesinos said.

A screening for potential bone marrow matches will take place at Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, 1170 N. River Road in 
Des Plaines, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, April 28. A bone marrow drive on April 14 did not result in any matches, which would most likely come from someone in the Hispanic community.

There is a , which organized the drives. At the bone marrow drive April 14, 66 potential donors, 18-45 years old, were screened.

Mariana Sgarbi, spokesperson for the Icla da Silva Foundation, stated in an email to Patch she hoped more people would turn out for the screening on April 28. About 200 people came to the screening, Sgarbi said, but many were not qualified due to the age restriction.

“Lots of people showed up for the masses, but just a fraction came to the room where we were having the drive,” Sgarbi said.

People can also go online and order the form and the kit to register, Sgarbi stated. The kit can be returned in a prepaid addressed envelope.

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