Mack and the Power of Research
As a high school freshman, Mack was a standout running back, catching the attention of college football scouts. His coaches praised his “downfield vision”— the ability to push forward and get the ball across the goal line no matter what. This determination would soon help him fight for his life off the field.
At 15, Mack had a bout of mononucleosis that triggered a severe systemic inflammatory syndrome called hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, a rare and often fatal immunodeficiency disorder. It is more common in babies and toddlers than teens. At first, Mack had a fever and fatigue. Soon, he couldn’t get out of bed or eat or drink independently. “I felt lifeless,” Mack says. He later learned this was when his organs had started to fail.
Care providers at a local hospital called the immunology team at Children’s National Hospital, where experts diagnosed and treated Mack with a bone marrow transplant. He spent two months recovering at the hospital.
After his transplant, Mack joined a clinical trial at our Center for Cancer and Immunology Research (CCIR) to treat persistent Epstein-Barr virus infection. CCIR investigators pioneered a process for producing and banking healthy T cells to treat severe viral infections after bone marrow transplants.
They boost the immune system’s recovery. A single dose of this virus-specific T-cell therapy resolved Mack’s infection.
“Everyone at Children’s National did an incredible job of blending top-notch clinical care with very human care,” says Mack’s dad, Ben. “Mack was always ready to fight to get to the goal line. He never let the pokes, prods and bone marrow biopsies drilled into his pelvis get in the way.
Mack is living proof of the power of research. He wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for research and immunotherapies at Children’s National.” His time at Children’s National inspired a new goal: a nursing degree. He hopes to help others overcome medical challenges with the same skill, kindness and humor that his care team gave to him. In a recent physiology class, Mack was the only student familiar with immunoglobulins, or antibodies. “After everything I’ve been through,” Mack says. “I could relate.”
At 15, Mack had a bout of mononucleosis that triggered a severe systemic inflammatory syndrome called hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, a rare and often fatal immunodeficiency disorder. It is more common in babies and toddlers than teens. At first, Mack had a fever and fatigue. Soon, he couldn’t get out of bed or eat or drink independently. “I felt lifeless,” Mack says. He later learned this was when his organs had started to fail.
Care providers at a local hospital called the immunology team at Children’s National Hospital, where experts diagnosed and treated Mack with a bone marrow transplant. He spent two months recovering at the hospital.
After his transplant, Mack joined a clinical trial at our Center for Cancer and Immunology Research (CCIR) to treat persistent Epstein-Barr virus infection. CCIR investigators pioneered a process for producing and banking healthy T cells to treat severe viral infections after bone marrow transplants.
They boost the immune system’s recovery. A single dose of this virus-specific T-cell therapy resolved Mack’s infection.
“Everyone at Children’s National did an incredible job of blending top-notch clinical care with very human care,” says Mack’s dad, Ben. “Mack was always ready to fight to get to the goal line. He never let the pokes, prods and bone marrow biopsies drilled into his pelvis get in the way.
Mack is living proof of the power of research. He wouldn’t be alive if it weren’t for research and immunotherapies at Children’s National.” His time at Children’s National inspired a new goal: a nursing degree. He hopes to help others overcome medical challenges with the same skill, kindness and humor that his care team gave to him. In a recent physiology class, Mack was the only student familiar with immunoglobulins, or antibodies. “After everything I’ve been through,” Mack says. “I could relate.”
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