for them / 202 KIDS /
match for Joshua and Jordan.
It was one of the scariest times for
Kristine, and not because of any lingering
fear over the procedure.
“Hoping was scary,” she says. “For 15
years, we never made plans. Any time it
would be a holiday or family reunion, we
would never plan on going, because we
knew that for any reason one or both of
the twins could get sick and end up in
a hospital. We’ve spent our last 15 years
taking it day by day, learning how to live
around this disease.”
Out of all the Buchanan boys, only
Jonathan was a match. Happily, since Joshua
and Jordan are identical twins, Jonathan was
a perfect match for them both.
Jonathan says he was taken for ice
cream the day the family found out.
When he returned home, the living room
was decked out in pictures of him, Jordan
and Joshua, and family members were
congratulating him. He was thrilled.
He was nervous, of course. Who
wouldn’t be?
“When they said I had to get like two
“All three of us can just go
run forever, nonstop, just keep
running together.”
—Joshua Buchanan
hundred shots I was pretty scared,” he
says. But he didn’t hesitate.
He’s donated marrow twice now, first
to Joshua a year ago and then to Jordan
last month. When he was sore from
donating to Jordan, he had someone to
cheer him up – a completely cured Joshua.
Joshua is grateful to his little brother.
“We run together now; we try to outdo
each other in everything,” he says. His
energy and strength have skyrocketed
since his transplant. The pain, which had
been constant, is gone.
Jordan looks forward to the same
experience, commenting about how “super
strong” his brother has become.
Both twins are eternally grateful to
their youngest brother, and just want to
plan the rest of their lives together now.
Joshua sums it up: “We are really
grateful. I think Jordan might get more
energy too, and all three of us can just go
run forever, nonstop, just keep running
together.”
202 magazine \ october 2013 \ 202magazine.com
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