April 21, 2011

20-year-old Kyle Hicks is leaving for a trip this week that may change his life. Hicks, who suffers from a rare skin disease, is scheduled to receive a bone marrow transplant to help cure him. Thursday, his friends and family held a party to help send him off.

Hicks suffers from Epidermolysis Bullosa, or 'EB.' It causes him to have excruciatingly painful skin legions at just the slightest touch. His entire life, much of Hicks' body has remained bandaged.

Three years ago, Hicks got word he had a bone marrow donor, but he's had to battle his insurance company to pay for the procedure. The transplant is scheduled to take place in Minnesota next month after Hicks receives chemotherapy treatments.

Hicks' family tells KAKE News the procedure has been performed on around 15 patients in Minnesota, four of whom did not survive, as they were already too ill to make it through the procedure. The patients who did survive had varying rates of success, according to Hicks.

Hicks says the thing he's most looking forward to after the procedure is being able to take a shower, as he currently can only take baths because the water pressure is too painful.