STANTON : City Declares a Day for Ill 8-Year-Old

To help raise money for an 8-year-old girl with a potentially fatal illness, the City Council has declared a day in her honor.

The council unanimously proclaimed Sunday as Christie Kowalsky Day, and presented her father and sister with a certificate at its meeting Tuesday.

Christie suffers from aplastic anemia, a disease that impairs the body’s ability to produce red and white blood cells and platelets, leaving her susceptible to a wide range of illnesses.

“She’s been in the hospital almost nonstop since March, and most of that in intensive care,” said her father, Michael Kowalsky, 37. But “she’s holding up real good. She’s a trooper.”

Although Christie’s doctors had hoped that a newly approved medication would reverse her condition, Kowalsky said the treatment does not appear to be working. A bone-marrow transplant will probably be necessary, but only one in 20,000 donors is likely to be a match for her.

“They say it’s not an immediate danger, she’s not going to die in the next week or so,” Kowalsky said. “But it will become more dangerous if a marrow donor isn’t found. She’s real susceptible to disease with her white cell count so low.”

As word of Christie’s condition has spread, neighbors, community service groups and the City Council have scrambled to help the family.

Among the efforts is a benefit in Christie’s behalf scheduled for noon Sunday by the West Anaheim Moose Lodge. Donations from this benefit will help pay for expensive blood tests required to screen potential donors.

The benefit at the West Anaheim Moose Lodge, 2232 Sequoia Ave., will include live music, raffles and food. Event organizers are asking a $6 donation per person. The lodge has also arranged for a medical team from the City of Hope National Medical Center to screen the donors on July 20.

Christie’s mother, Kathy Kowalsky, 36, said she hopes for a good response to the bone-marrow drive “to find that one person who is willing to give part of their lives for Christie.”

Michael Kowalsky said he was amazed at the positive response from the community. “It’s just unbelieveable, it’s wonderful. It will help us defray the cost of finding bone-marrow donors, and some of her medical bills. I’ve got medical bills over $130,000 so far.”

Christie said she too was surprised by the public response.

“It surprised me the most that they were making a day called ‘Christie Kowalsky Day,’ ” she said. “I’m pretty happy about that.

“I’d like to go to Raging Waters and go to the ocean and have a picnic with my friends and family,” Christie added. “That’s something I can’t do right now because I have infections.”

Donations may be sent to the Christie Kowalsky Fund, Security Pacific National Bank, 9862 Chapman Ave., Garden Grove, Calif. 92642.