When Mid Valley High School graduate Eddie Kaufman died of cancer in October, he left behind a legacy as a family member, friend, athlete and mentor.
The former Throop resident also left a more tangible gift. During events held earlier this year to find a blood stem cell donor for Kaufman, volunteers had their cheeks swabbed to see if they were a match. One of those volunteers donated stem cells in Kaufman’s memory to a man he matched with.
Cody Petcavage and his wife, McKenzie, had their cheeks swabbed in hope of helping Kaufman.
Cody, 28, of Scranton, didn’t know Kaufman well, but they were both athletes and attended Mid Valley schools.
Cody Petcavage—a Mid Valley alumnus and baseball player— donated stem cells to a 67-year-old man slated to have the cells transplanted on Christmas Eve. Petcavage was originally hoping to be a match for such a transplant for his friend Eddie Kaufman. Kaufman passed away in October and now Petcavage is making the donation in memory of his friend. (SUBMITTED)
The results of more than 5,000 people swabbed during those events were registered with the National Marrow Donor Program.
Brian Kaufman, Eddie’s father, said at the time he hoped their efforts would mean a match for his son, but he was aware the events also were getting people on the registry to potentially help others.
Petcavage was focused on helping Kaufman and put the registry out of his mind.
Then in October, he received a call from the donor program saying he was a potential match for a 67-year-old Houston man who needed a stem cell transplant.
Petcavage didn’t think twice before saying “yes.”
Eddie Kaufman bats for Mid Valley during a game against Holy Cross during his high school time. (TIMES-TRIBUNE FILE)
Eddie Kaufman stared as a golfer for Mid Valley High School. (TIMES-TRIBUNE FILE)
Brian Kaufman takes time for a photo with cutouts of his son Eddie Kaufman during his high school years. Eddie Kaufman, now a college sophomore is battling leukemia. (GERI GIBBONS/STAFF PHOTO)
In Eddie Kaufman threw out a ceremonial first pitch for the Philadelphia Phillies. Kaufman lost his battle to leukemia on Tuesday. (SUBMITTED)
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Eddie Kaufman bats for Mid Valley during a game against Holy Cross during his high school time. (TIMES-TRIBUNE FILE)
He first participated in an hourlong phone call and filled out a questionnaire.
“After that phone call I was scheduled for blood work to confirm I was a match, which was extremely quick and easy,” he said. “I spent maybe a total of 30 minutes at a facility 10 minutes from my house. Went to work right after.”
In November, he went for a physical and another round of blood testing and was assigned a caseworker.
Petcavage said not only did the donation allow him to help someone else, it didn’t cost him anything.
While preparing for the donation, on Nov. 17, the Petcavages were also gifted with a new life, their daughter Frankie.
On Nov. 25, Petcavage went through his last round of testing. On Dec. 3, the caseworker reached out to him to make final plans.
Last week, he received five filgrastim shots to boost stem cell growth. Staff from the local blood center came to his workplace to administer one of the shots.
On Sunday, Petcavage left from Avoca for Houston, where the donation took place.
The donor registry paid for everything, including food, hotel and transportation.
On Monday, he arrived at the blood center at 7 a.m., had two IVs inserted into each arm and was there for about five hours.
He explained that one IV line took blood from his body and collected the stem cells. The other IV then put blood back into his body.
He had no side effects.
“What I really would like to come out of this is hopefully more and more people could get tested, get that call like I did, feel the incredible feeling you get knowing you have the potential to save someone’s life, total stranger,” he said. “I know I wasn’t a match for Eddie, so I made this person my Eddie that I can help.
“If people realized how easy it was to donate stem cells, more would do it,” he said.
“Then hopefully one day more and more matches can happen,” he said. “More and more Eddies will be saved.”
On Tuesday, Petcavage boarded a plane back to Northeast Pennsylvania and begin his Christmas celebration, feeling good and believing that Eddie was smiling down on him.
Brian Kaufman said his family is still struggling with the pain of losing Eddie, but Petcavage’s generosity brought them some light.
“Eddie asked all of us to live for him,” Kaufman said. “Cody is certainly doing that.”