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A stem cell transplant at the Center for Chronic Immunodeficiency has cured Janis

Janis' family are winegrowers. Not full-time, but their vines are right on their doorstep and when it's harvest time, they work hard and it gets dirty. It was nothing for Janis. Janis had only been born for ten days when he got strange spots on his face for the first time. At just two years old, he had already had three operations on his lymph nodes. He constantly had infections, stomach aches and skin rashes. At the time, it was thought that he was simply a susceptible child with a poor appetite and therefore relatively small and thin.

At the age of five, his blood was examined more closely. The shocking diagnosis for the parents: Janis suffers from septic granulomatosis, a very rare immune disease. His immune system is unable to defend itself against pathogens such as bacteria and fungi, meaning that even potting soil can be dangerous for him. All plants had to be banned from the apartment. But even that didn't really help in the long term. Janis will always be dependent on antibiotics and will not survive beyond adolescence, was the verdict of the doctors at a local clinic. If there is a chance, it is through a stem cell transplant, but this requires a suitable donor and the search is laborious. The probability is 25 percent within your own family, but infinitely lower outside it.

The parents felt left alone with the diagnosis at the clinic. After researching on the Internet, they made an appointment at short notice with Prof. Dr. Stephan Ehl at the Center for Chronic Immunodeficiency (CCI) at the Freiburg University Medical Center. "It was like winning the lottery when we found out after the whole family's blood test that his little brother Niclas was a potential donor," reports the father. At the CCI, the family felt they were in good hands and the doctors advised a stem cell transplant, carefully weighing up the risks for the patient, as such an operation can have serious complications, including death.

Janis was six years old when he underwent chemotherapy at Freiburg University Hospital in preparation for the stem cell transplant, during which all his hair fell out. His brother Niclas, who is two years younger, was not allowed to go to kindergarten for two weeks. He had to be in perfect health for the operation. The big day arrived on May 6, 2009: First, Niclas' stem cells were removed under general anesthesia. His father was with him. Janis and his mother waited in another room. A few hours later, the stem cells were transferred to him via an infusion.

After ten days, Janis' blood values improved significantly. The family could breathe a sigh of relief for the first time. After three weeks, he was allowed outside for the first time. "Janis had to wear a face mask and it was thundering", his mother remembers. Two months later, he and his mother were allowed to return home to his father and Niclas, the rescuer.

If you ask Niclas about his heroic deed, he only remembers the injection and that he couldn't walk properly after the operation. "I'm glad he's healthy," says Niclas. Janis now only comes to the CCI once a year for a check-up and has had enough of talking. "I don't want to think about it anymore, I'd rather play soccer," he says.