Konstantinos Tsimpos should be doing what all young boys his age are doing, playing with his friends, and getting ready for the new school year, but unfortunately, Kostaki is fighting for his life. The six-year-old has been battling leukemia for more than two years, and his family is hoping a clinical trial will mean remission for the boy. His great aunt Eleni Gatsios contacted The National Herald to share Kostaki’s story and hopefully help him beat the dreaded disease.
She said, “We’re doing our best to get the word out. This child has been valiantly battling leukemia for 2 1/2 years. Now, his only hope is the clinical trials at Seattle Children’s Hospital and it looks like a great opportunity for him to beat this. They have a 93% success rate.”
Gatsios went on to say that “the family is a wonderful, hard-working family from Kefalari, Argolidos. Pappou Kosta owns a well-known psistaria in town (I Strofes) and he’s had it for over 50 years. When Kosta’s Baba is not at his bedside in Athens, he works at the restaurant as well. They are well-known and beloved in the area. The amount ($455,000) the hospital is asking for (before they schedule him for treatment) is beyond anything anyone can handle alone. They need our help.”
The family has set up a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for Kostaki’s treatment. As noted on the site, “We are Kosta’s family and we’re raising money to help him battle that evil villain, leukemia. Kosta, who loves Spiderman, is 6 and he’s been fighting leukemia for two years. At first, he was winning, but in the last few battles he’s lost ground. His leukemia came back. And then it wouldn’t budge. Not even after a second round of chemo, a bone marrow transplant from his Momma, and a treatment with a new drug from London. We were terrified that he had no options left…Seattle Children’s Hospital told his family that he’s eligible for a clinical trial treating leukemia in kids with a relapse. So far 93% of their patients have achieved complete remission.”
The family goes on to describe the $455,000 deposit required by the hospital and how insurance will cover some of the cost, but not all of it and the family is fundraising in Greece as well. In the latest update, Gatsios noted that, “the beautiful people of Greece have raised $100,000 for Kosta. This weekend they are hosting three fundraisers, two benefit concerts for him in Argolidos, and a benefit showing of a children’s movie in Nafplio.” The local Greek newspapers, magazines, and radio programs have all publicized Kostaki’s fight. As his aunt said, “Kostaki has touched the hearts of the whole country; and of course the Greeks have big hearts.”
Kostaki’s mother described the struggle as a parent, “There comes a time when you get desperate, the moment you feel so weak, but you must be strong, you have to keep going, you’ve got to support the real fighter. The Real Fighter, the Real Hero, yes, he fights, so strong, even after 2.5 years of struggling with the disease. Treatments, relapse, relapse again, a transplant, narrow options, and the only hope is America. And we have to move immediately. They accepted him (for the clinical trial at Seattle Hospital), but to be able to go we need a deposit in the amount of $455,000. And here we are asking for your help. Let’s give him the opportunity to fight another battle! Let’s give him a chance to live! This is not easy for us to ask, but it is our child and we will do everything! We thank you.”
More information is available at gofundme.com/Kosta