Josh "Miller" Gamberi was diagnosed with MHC Class II Deficiency, aka Bare Lymphocyte Syndrome, at seven months old. There are less than 200 documented cases of the disorder worldwide.
Miller had virtually no immune system after antibodies from his mother wore off around six months. It's been a rollercoaster ever since for his parents, Garyn and Josh Gamberi.
“He was airlifted to Children’s and it was terrifying for all of us," Josh said.
Doctors at Children's Hospital in New Orleans recommended Miller get a bone marrow transplant, the parents said.
“They were like, the chance of it being someone you know are super slim, and that’s when they were like, it will probably be a random person and sure enough, some random person in California," Garyn said.
Miller was "matched" with a donor thanks to the nonprofit organization, Be The Match.
After his first transplant didn't work, the donor donated again.
“He got it and it worked," Josh said.
Now, Miller is 13 months old, but he still has a long road ahead.
He continues to visit the hospital weekly and receives treatments.
“22 syringes a day," Garyn said.
“So, there’s a lot of medications, but he’s got to hit certain milestones with his development and with his new immune system because they essentially created one from scratch," Josh said.
Some of Miller's treatments have required blood, his parents said.
“And we had to wait and wait and wait and it’s like, how do we not have more of this?" Garyn said.
The family realized after being at the hospital for several months how critical blood and platelet donations can be. That's why they're now asking everyone to donate blood and register for Be The Match.
“In the minority community, there’s not a lot of people that sign up to be on the registry. So that’s something that we want to bring a lot of awareness to, is you know those babies need help. So, sign up and get on the registry," Josh said.
The family hosts blood drives throughout southeast Louisiana, and they also encourage people to donate at The Blood Center.
For the latest events, follow the "Miller's Match" Facebook page.