Luka

03/04/2014 - 12/01/2015

An angel he is and loved for eternity indeed. We find comfort that he is not alone, welcomed by a choir of angels who also gained their wings, especially his big brother, Maks. Someone recently asked me how Luka got his name. Honestly, it just came to us. Naturally, we were interested in a name with a Polish connection as that is my family's heritage, and Zach is an honorary Polish person. As Arsenal Football Club fans, we enjoyed Łukasz Fabinaski and Łukasz Podolski, both players on the team at that time. So the name evolved to the North Carolina version, Luka, only to find out after he was born that his name means, "light." And guiding light he is. Over the course of his nearly 21 months on this Earth, Luka's light guided us as a family. We always said, "If he can do it, then so can we." And, boy did he do a lifetime’s worth of impact in a short amount of time. Luka was an old soul born with a very rare primary immunodeficiency disease that is thought to be unique to him, yet carried himself with the perseverance, beauty, and strength of a lion. And so he became #LukaTheLion. His legacy will live on, not just in his spirit through us remembering him, but also in research as his LuFi stem cells will live on forever to better inform how to treat people who may have conditions similar to him. The world is learning from Luka.

~Julia, Luka’s Mom

Primary Immunodeficiency Disease
Primary immune deficiency diseases (PIDDs) are rare, genetic disorders that impair the immune system. Without a functional immune response, people with PIDDs may be subject to chronic, debilitating infections, such as Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), which can increase the risk of developing cancer. Some PIDDs can be fatal. PIDDs may be diagnosed in infancy, childhood, or adulthood, depending on disease severity.

Artist: Vivian McNeeley