Help save a life: Local family hosting charity event for foundation that saved their son's life

MILWAUKEE -- Hit the slopes, shred it up, and support charity.  Mike, Paula, and Andrew Schmitz joins Real Milwaukee to talk about cheese shred 2020 happening at Little Switzerland this weekend.

The 2020 Cheese Shred to support Be the Match is happening at Little Switzerland.  It goes from 10:00 p.m .to 1:00 a.m.  Tickets are $20 for walk-ins and $10 for season pass holders.  $10 from every ticket goes to Be the Match.

In addition, the ski resort is accepting direction donations and holding raffles and a silent auction to help raise money for the organization.  Be the Match is operated by the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) and has the largest and most diverse marrow registry in the world. Be the Match hits close to thome for the Littel Switz family. One of the owner's children is a recipient of a live-saving transplant that was found on be the match.  Andrew Schmitz is now a teenager. When he was two years old, he started having unexplained fevers and rashes. After years of traveling the country for answers, five strokes, multiple brain surgeries, and relentless seizures, Andrew was diagnosed with a rare, life-threatening disease called DADA2.

In fall of 2017, the Schmitz family was facing a tough decision on whether to perform another surgery to try to stop seizures when everything was put on hold. Doctors found that Andrew`s immune system was failing. Without immediate action, he may not survive.

The process of a bone marrow transplant was immediately initiated. For the Schmitz Family, it was a nerve testing waiting game. Be the Match was working with Children`s Hospital of Wisconsin to find the right donor. Because of privacy laws, Paula and Mike, Andrew`s parents, had to wait patiently without knowing much. They were told there were multiple matches for Andrew, and that they were contacting them to see if they were still willing to donate.

Halfway across the country Anni Roming never hesitated. She performed a selfless act to save the life of someone she never met. In January of 2017, Andrew began his transplant. Paula stayed by his side on an isolated floor of Children`s Hospital praying that the transplant would work. A bone marrow transplant essentially resets the recipient`s immune system.

Andrew`s positive attitude and courage coupled with Anni`s selfless act proved to be the combination that saved Andrew`s life. The procedure was a huge success, and while Andrew continues to fight other effects of DADA2, he might not have had the chance if not for Be the Match, Anni Roming, and the wonderful doctors and nurses at Children`s Hospital.

While Andrew was lucky to receive a perfect match and a successful transplant, many patients aren`t so lucky. Anni`s Story not only provides a blueprint for the donation process, it explains how donating can be the most rewarding experience you may ever do.