Ellis Kusch, right, with his mom Jennifer and his siblings Afton and Kennedy. When he was just 3, EllisĀ wasĀ diagnosed with a rare gastrointestinal disease. Now 14, Ellis is doing much better.Ā āHeāsĀ funny and a really, really happy kid,ā his mom said.
More than a decade after he was diagnosed with a rare gastrointestinal disease, 14-year-old Ellis Kusch is back to just being a regular curious kid again.
āIām really into engineering ā¦ gears and stuff like that,ā Ellis said from his home in Idaho Falls. āI like working with my hands and building LEGOs and doing stuff in woodshop.ā
And like many boys his age, Ellis enjoys video games and playing baseball.
āHeās just a friendly little guy,ā his mother Jennifer said. āHeās funny and a really, really happy kid.ā
But it hasnāt been an easy path for Ellis, whose childhood has included a whirlwind of surgeries, colostomy bags, Christmas Eve visits to the emergency room, the removal of his colon and an urgent Life Flight trip to Primary Childrenās Hospital in Salt Lake City.
Shortly after his third birthday, Ellis was diagnosed with Hirschprungās, a condition that affects the intestines. Surgery after surgery would follow, and after one particularly complicated procedure, he began hemorrhaging and urgently needed blood ā blood made available thanks to the generosity of blood donors.
āI watched my pale baby boy recover the color in his cheeks as he received multiple bags of blood,ā Jennifer said. āI remember sitting at his hospital bed, holding his hand, looking up at the bags pushing life back into his veins and wishing I could thank the person who had donated blood to save my sonās life.ā
That day Jennifer made a promise to herself.
āI vowed that I would donate blood every single chance that comes my way,ā she said.
Even before Ellisā struggles, blood donation was part of Jenniferās life. Her dad is a regular donor, and she had given a couple of times herself. But that day changed everything.
āI remember thinking quite literally that my son was almost going to die and feeling completely helpless,ā she said. āShortly after the transfusion he wanted to get up and walk, and he was alert and talking. It was the difference between watching my son and feeling totally helpless and having hope.ā
As Ellis worked his way through the treatment and learned to live with Hirschprungās, Jennifer continued to roll up her sleeve and donate. Then one day in 2017, Jennifer, who works in human resources at Melaleuca, got an opportunity to make an even greater impact.
āMy boss tapped me on the shoulder and said āHey, the Red Cross wants to do an onsite blood drive and we need somebody from HR to head it up. Will you do it?ā And I said, āOh my gosh, I have passion behind this. Yes!āā
Jennifer has been helping organize drives at Melaleuca ever since. The wellness company hosts an annual drive in Idaho Falls that Jennifer helps organize and another drive each year at their call center in Rexburg. The Idaho Falls drive averages 52 units, enough blood to help save up to 156 lives.
Jennifer and Ellis are also inspiring others by sharing their story. Jenniferās dad is a member of the Utah Red Cross board of directors, and in July, she traveled to Ogden to speak to that group. She also has a podcast that focuses on service and helping others, and Ellis has told his story through StoryCorps and during a radiothon hosted by Primary Childrenās Hospital.
And while he continues to face daily challenges other kids his age never have to worry about, things are getting easier. What was once a monthly trip to Salt Lake for check-ups and treatment have been scaled back to annual visits. One day when heās older, Ellis plans to donate blood himself and give the same gift of life that someone gave him.
āDonating blood is a really cool thing that helps a lot of people,ā he said. āI would tell them thank you.ā
DONATE LIFESAVING BLOOD
To find a blood drive near you and make an appointment, visit RedCrossBlood.org and your zip code or call 800-RED-CROSS. Donating blood takes less than an hour and can help save more than one life.
BECOME A RED CROSS VOLUNTEER
Even if youāre not eligible to donate blood you can still help keep hospital shelves stocked. Please consider volunteering as a blood donor ambassador. These volunteers welcome donors to Red Cross drives, help schedule their next appointment and make sure they have a good experience. To learn more, email IDMT.Recruiting@redcross.org or call or text 406-493-8778.
