Kansas Blue Blood

Today’s KUCancerFighter hero is Garrett Barr, a 14-year-old from Belvue, KS battling T-cell leukemia. Garrett’s cancer was discovered on Thanksgiving Day of 2025 and he began treatment right away at Children’s Mercy in KC, showing encouraging results before a relapse on New Years Eve. The setback proved devastating when doctors discovered Garrett was not fighting an ordinary leukemia, he was facing an extremely rare and aggressive myeloid/lymphoid neoplasm driven by a PDGFRA gene fusion, a diagnosis so rare there was little precedent for how to treat it. This courageous young man has since endured months of intensive treatment, including targeted therapy, which brought his disease under control and cleared the cancer cells from his spinal fluid. His doctors recommended a bone marrow transplant, and his big sister, Eileen, turned out to be a perfect 10-out-of-10 match. Something his family described as, “an incredible blessing.” This spring, Garrett went through radiation, intensive chemotherapy, and finally his bone marrow transplant on April 16. The road was not easy. There were serious complications, frightening setbacks, painful procedures, and days when his blood counts were dangerously low. His family spent countless nights at Children's Mercy, taking each day as it came. Through it all, Garrett kept fighting, and his family and community kept praying and believing. Today, his family are so grateful to share that Garrett has no evidence of disease and is on the road to recovery! 🙌 He is still immunocompromised and will be for several more months, so his family continues to make regular trips back to Children's Mercy for checkups and takes lots of precautions. Garrett's family says his journey is, “a testament to his incredible courage and perseverance, and to the power of prayer, family, friends, and a community that refused to stop believing in him.” Jayhawk Nation is so impressed by you, Garrett. Today’s call is for you! 💙❤️