Wright died at home under hospice care. He was five years old when doctors diagnosed him with lymphoblastic leukemia, a fast-growing cancer of the white blood cells. To learn more about the disease visit the National Cancer Institute on Leukemia website.
Wright had a bone-marrow transplant in February, for which his brother Nathaniel served as a donor. The cancer returned, however, and the family had hoped to get his cancer into remission again so that doctors could try a double-cord blood transplant.
He had been in the hospital for months trying to fight infections from chemotherapy before returning home recently.
His battle with leukemia led the community to help him and his family in numerous ways. For example, many people gathered outside the Wrights’ home for a candlelight vigil to pray before his transplant.
“Last July, after the family learned the transplant didn’t work, the parents agreed to get Isaac and Nathaniel the dog they always wanted,” according to the Daily Herald, a local newspaper. “Staff at Central Du Page Hospital raised money and helped the family adopt Midnight from a Naperville shelter.”
A number of fundraisers had been held and were planned. A bowl-a-thon and celebration of Wright’s life is scheduled December 13 at Carol Stream Brunswick Zone.
Click here to read a local newspaper’s coverage of Wright’s heroic struggle. Click here for additional details surrounding his death.
