11/05/2025
Owen had just started his sophomore year at the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse in the fall of 2023 when his health started to go sideways. It began with intense leg pain caused by blood clotting. When he should have been having the time of his life in college, Owen was struggling to walk and feel well enough to attend classes.
Physicians at Gundersen Health in La Crosse diagnosed Owen with leukemia. His particular form of the disease is quite rare in young people—chronic myeloid leukemia with a B-cell acute lymphoblastic blast crisis.
Conventional treatment, such as chemotherapy, would not be enough for Owen. He also needed a bone marrow transplant, a procedure that wipes out the body’s immune system and creates a new one by infusing the patient with new bone marrow provided by a donor. Tests determined Owen’s younger sister Lydia was a perfect match and the transplant happened in spring of 2025.
Bone marrow transplants are only performed at major medical centers, so Owen and his girlfriend Nikki moved from La Crosse to Madison to be closer to the American Family Children’s Hospital and to Nikki’s family who live in the area. Owen learned of his cancer diagnosis just seven months into dating Nikki, but she didn’t hesitate about staying. Nikki was all in with Owen.
Owen was admitted to American Family Children’s Hospital in April 2024. He initially thought his stay might be a few weeks but he kept getting sicker, eventually spending 111 days there. For part of his stay, his disease confounded not only his UW Health Kids care team but other childhood cancer experts around the nation who were consulted.
Getting past the 100-day mark following a bone marrow transplant without major complications is a major milestone. “It takes time for his new immune system to put down roots.” says Dr. Becky Richards, a UW Health Kids cancer expert who specializes in bone marrow transplantation. “That’s why he spent about six weeks in the hospital after the transplant. We also discourage contact with more than just a few people, especially during those first 100 days. Owen has gotten past that point and that gives us more encouragement for the long term.”
Dr. Cathy Lee-Miller, Owen's primary hematologist-oncologist, is among many who are moved by his relentless upbeat outlook. “Owen is a remarkable young man who has been dealt a pretty rough hand,” she says. “You wouldn’t blame him for being angry at the world, but he just sees the positive and doesn’t complain. He’s the kind of kid you want your child to be. He is truly a light.”
