COLUMBUS, Ohio _ Nathan Anderson and two of his four sons, Griffin, 10, and Brennan, 4, have been diagnosed with a rare mutation on their Runx1 gene. Besides causing easy bruising, excessive bleeding and a tendency to develop hematomas, the mutation predisposes them to certain blood cancers. Wife and mother Joy Anderson has become an outspoken advocate for the condition _ and her family.
As Joy Anderson tucked her four boys into their beds one recent evening, she asked each of them to reflect on the difficult year the family has had.
Oldest son Griffin, 10, expressed anger and sadness, especially because he isn't allowed to play contact sports anymore.
Maxwell, 9, said he's worried about his siblings and parents.
Nolan, 8, said he's tried to be more compassionate, as you never know what someone is facing.
And then there's sweet-yet-rambunctious Brennan. At just 4 years old, he doesn't really understand what's been going on, only that he's had many doctor's visits and needle pricks lately.
A little over a year ago, the Anderson family received news that rocked their world: Brennan had tested positive for the Runx1 gene mutation.
It was the third such blow for the family, who hails from Arlington, a village in Hancock County outside of Findlay, in just a few short months. Griffin first received the same diagnosis in August 2018, followed by their father, Nathan, in November that year and now Brennan.
Maxwell and Nolan, fortunately, do not share the mutation.
"It's like a 50-50 chance of being passed down," Joy said. "In that case, I felt like we were a living statistic."
But their situation is anything but routine: Only 120 individuals in the world have been diagnosed with the mutation.
Visible symptoms of the disease, which causes platelet abnormalities, include easy bruising, excessive bleeding and a tendency to develop hematomas. But the most distressing part is its predisposition (40% to 70%) to certain blood cancers.
"I felt like I couldn't breathe, like I was having a panic attack," the 41-year-old mother said of the diagnoses. "I tried to Google everything to learn more about it, and there isn't really much out there."
Three people she loves dearly _ half her family _ now must be followed regularly by a hematologist and undergo bone marrow biopsies annually to monitor for cancer.
"Little did I know we would have such a domino effect after we all got tested," she said.
