Jimbo Fisher says son could be cured of Fanconi Anemia

Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher shared some amazing news Wednesday night.

To begin his speech at the Dallas A&M Club, Fisher revealed that his son, Ethan, will begin gene replacement therapy in June in the hopes of curing his Fanconi Anemia, Carter Karels reports.

Fisher’s son was diagnosed with the condition in 2011. Fanconi Anemia is a rare blood disorder that can cause bone-marrow failure, leukemia and tumors. The average lifespan for someone with the condition is roughly 30 years.

The chances of a child suffering from the disease are 1-in-131,000 (or 0.0000077%). Around 30 children in the United States are diagnosed with Fanconi Anemia each year.

Although the number of documented patients is unclear, the chances of a child suffering from the recessive disease are about 1-in-131,000. Only 31 children each year on average are diagnosed with the condition in the United States and is a rare genetic blood disease with no known cure, which causes bone marrow failure and cancer.

“We accepted it in that God doesn’t put more on your plate than you can handle,” Jimbo said of Ethan’s condition back in 2014. “Everybody has issues in their life and we know this is a very serious one, but life goes on. It’s not going to control us. We’re going to control it. We look at it like an opponent. We’re gonna beat it.”

Fisher’s ex-wife, Candi, founded the Kidz1stFund, a non-profit charity organization that helps combat Fanconi Anemia. Since 2011, the group has helped raise over $12 million, which has been directly responsible for funding research at the Fanconi Anemia Comprehensive Care Program at the University of Minnesota.

“Each day, the money we’ve raised is already helping experts to discover new treatments, procedures and information related to this rare disease. And each day, that improves the lives and chances for each and every FA fighter,” their mission statement reads.

Jimbo Fisher gets a ton of flack as the Texas A&M football coach, especially after last season’s poor showing. But moments like these are much bigger than any sport. He’s a father before anything else, and it’s a blessing to see light at the end of what has likely been a long, dark tunnel for him and his family.

Ethan’s fight isn’t over just yet, but he’s sure to have the entire Aggie fanbase cheering him on as he enters what hopes to be the final stages of his recovery.