Garrett Kaulbars

Hi my name is Garrett Kaulbars, I just wanted to take a couple of minutes to explain what life has been like for me, in hopes that you live everyday as a blessing. Some people aren’t as fortunate as others and don’t get a say in where they go and what they do in life, but when adversity hits, it gives you a whole new outlook on what matters in life. My journey began back in 2008 when I was 8 years old being diagnosed with Aplastic anemia, which if you don’t know is where the body stops producing new blood cells. Fortunately I was blessed to have a twin brother in my life that was a 100% donor match for a bone marrow transplant which cured and saved my life. Everything that I experienced earlier in life has shaped me into the person I am today resilient, hardworking, and determined. Not many people know about me and what I’ve been through, because everything that God has put me through has allowed me to grow as a person and without it I wouldn’t be who he intended for me to be. In August of 2018 I was working towards attending college and fulfilling my life long passion of being a division one athlete, when I was diagnosed with stage 4 Merkel Cell Carcinoma at just 18 years old. I’ve been through eight rounds of intense chemotherapy and currently on radiation treatment when I thought everything was under control. But, August of 2019 I started experiencing some abnormal headaches when the doctors told me to get a brain MRI. Monday August 12th was when they told me I had a pretty substantial size tumor that fortunately was operable. On Thursday August 15th is when I had a craniotomy done to remove the whole tumor, thankfully God was looking out for me and put it in a position to where it could be successfully removed and leave no brain damage. Everyday after August of 2018 I have been trying to live the way God intended it to be for me, not that I was taking things for granted but it truly opened up my eyes to what matters most in life. I hope my story inspires others to live life to the fullest and continue to count their blessings. You really know who you can count on during times like this and I appreciate everyone who has stuck by my side. I also wanna thank Ambers Antibodies for taking time out to listen to my story and give me the opportunity to share my stories with others in hopes to inspire them as well.