Dr. Nick Mondek was given a second chance at life thanks to his 9-year-old son who donated stem cells to help battle his aggressive cancer.
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In July, young Stephen Mondek became the youngest stem cell donor at a Los Angeles children’s hospital to help his dad. And he didn’t need to be asked twice to step up.
Nick Mondek spoke to PEOPLE about the brave act his son committed.
In 2022, Nick was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia, a rare blood cancer. At the time, his brother donated stem cells to help fight it. Although stem cell donations aren’t a cure, they greatly help the body fight against cancer and contribute to prevention.
However, after two-and-a-half years of remission, it returned with a vengeance.
“I had a feeling that it would come back. I just didn’t know when,” Nick said. “It’s a very aggressive disease, and I had a few mutations that make the disease even more difficult to treat and more prone to relapse.”
When the disease “came back ferociously” in 2025, Nick was in a bad spot. As his brother’s stem cells could no longer help, they’d have to find a different donor, and many were now ruled out.
In Steps His Son, Stephen
With the options running out, Nick confronted his own mortality. “I’m not ready to leave them yet,” he remembered thinking. But there was one last hope.
Nick recalled one of his friends receiving a donation from his 18-year-old son to help battle a cancer he was facing. After a chat with the doctor, it was confirmed that Stephen could be a suitable match.
“I didn’t want him to feel obligated or pressured,” Nick said. “I didn’t even tell him that he was basically going to be our last option.”
When asked, Stephen simply said, “Yeah, let’s do it.”
after several weeks of prep, Stephen went under for the surgery.
“That hour while he was asleep under anesthesia was probably one of the toughest periods of my life,” remembers his dad. “You just start to question everything. Am I doing the right thing?”
Thankfully, the operation was a success.
Nick couldn’t be prouder, and will be forever grateful for the help of his son.