My brother, Michael

Michael Krutsinger

1964-2011

At the young age of 47, my brother, Mike, went home to be with the Lord. He spent a year battling AML. He under went a stem cell transplant in February of 2011. On his 100 day check up the cancer was back. In August 2011, they found an unmatched bone marrow donor from out of the country. On October 21, 2011, the doctors told him that the cancer had once again returned and that he would have 2 to 6 weeks to live. They told him to go home and enjoy what time he had left.

On Friday, October 28, 2011, our family gathered to spend the weekend with Mike. My other two brothers and their families, mom and dad, and an aunt and uncle spent precious time with him. On Saturday night, some of his close friends gathered at a hotel for a pizza party. He was in a lot of pain, but the thought of having his friends together spurred him on to come out for even just a short time.

On Sunday, October 30, 2011, we gathered in his home to say good-bye. Living so far away, I knew I would not get back down to see him again. What a bitter sweet weekend we had together. The tears flowed freely that day. Driving back home, I got a text from my other brother telling me that they had called Hospice to the house. They said that if Mike made it through the night they would admit him in the morning.

We got home at 11:15 pm, totally exhausted from the long drive we went straight to bed. I woke at 2 am thinking I heard the phone ring. I got out of bed and checked the caller ID. I called my brother back. He told me that Mike had passed away at 1:15 am. 

I was saddened to know that I would no longer see my brother again on this earth. I was happy to know that he was safe in the arms of the Lord and no longer in pain.

I spent the last week with my parents and brothers planning a time of visitation and a memorial service for Mike. What a precious time we had together. Mike had picked out the songs that he wanted played at his funeral. Friday night we were warmed by the outpouring of sympathy so many people gave us. Mike was well liked by so many people.

Mike will be greatly missed by his nieces and nephews. He was their favorite uncle.

I was able to be a caregiver for Mike twice during this year. I think we grew closer than we had been in years past. I will treasure in my heart the time I was able to spend with him. He was the first brother to come into my life and the first to leave it. There is a hole in my life now. A link in our family chain has been broken. But we will put that chain back together when we all get to heaven.

My brother needs a bone marrow donor.

This is my brother. He has an aggressive and very hard to treat form of leukemia. A bone marrow transplant is his best option for a cure. Thank you for reading this.

Donor needed! Please spread the word!

by Michael Krutsinger on Friday, May 27, 2011 at 9:07am

Hello my friends,

Unfortunately, the stem cell transplant I received in February was unsuccessful after all and I am no longer in remission. The leukemia has returned in just the last two weeks. I was admitted to KU Medical Center Wednesday and began chemo on Thursday. I will be in the hospital for about 3 weeks. After that we will again be searching the National Registry for a non-related donor to try another bone marrow transplant. Last time there were no matches so I don't have high hopes for a match this time either. If that does happen, they will try to use cord blood, but again, we must have a match and two donors as well. After that there aren't many options left.

Therefore, I am looking for new donors! I would ask that if you or anyone you know would be interested in being a donor, not just for me but for anyone who might be in need, you can get registered at www.bethematch.org or www.marrow.org. It is free and easy to register.

It basically consists of a mouth swab that gets typed and registered. If you are a match for someone, they contact you to then do further testing and scheduling for the transplant. You will never meet the recipient. It all stays confidential. I know some people may believe that bone marrow donation is painfull but that's the way it used to be done. Now it's almost as simple as a blood donation. It is also relatively painless with the exception of several days of injections before they do the harvest in order to boost your bone marrow production. The harvesting itself is no worse than giving a pint of blood. They hook you up to a machine through an IV in your arm, which is similar to a dialysis machine. It then syphons off the needed stem cells and returns the blood back into you. It just takes a couple of days to harvest enough cells.

When you sign up on the registry, it is free, but you do have to be willing to donate to whomever may need it in order to save their life. I've had some people tell me they got registered and were called within 6 months. Others have been on the registry for 20 years and never been called. Strangers or not, the gift of life is a precious thing. I would only pray that if there were a stranger out there who is the perfect match for me, that they would not hold back that gift just because they don't know me or hadn't met me. Imagine where the Red Cross and other blood banks would be if no one donated blood simply because they didn't know the person it was going to.

The other way then, is if you only wanted to be tested in order to donate for me alone, but this would not be a free test, nor would it guarantee that you and I would match. You can order the test kit for $175, and then send it to me to give to the center here to test. The website iswww.bonemarrowtest.com. It will have instructions on how to do the mouth swab and ship the samples.

I would strongly encourage everyone to sign up for the national registry though. As I said it is free, and you may also save someone else's life in doing so, not just mine. And you might just be my match as well!

Other than that, I ask that you keep me in your thoughts and prayers, and to help me through this in whatever way you can. I will admit, I am taking this news much harder this time around, and my morale is suffering greatly tonight. I would appreciate any emails, texts, cards or even a quick phone call just to say hi in order to brighten up my day. Visitors are especially welcome! I am at KU Med Center, Unit 41, room 4110. I miss you all right now and would love to hear from any of you.

Live in Love!

Mike

Content after filling my belly with BBQ! Nom!

Me climbing rocks at Yosemite Park Bridal Veil falls