Chris Abeleda now has two birthdays.
On Jan. 23, the UF psychology junior celebrated his bone marrow transplant, the first day of what he and his family pray will be a healthy year.
Abeleda, 21, was a freshman when he was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, a cancer of the blood and bone marrow, in January 2013.
In the bone marrow wing of UF Health Shands Cancer Hospital recently, he leaned back on the couch and shrugged, unfazed by the IVs and his guests’ yellow hospital masks. There is a keyboard and a treadmill in two of the corners.
“It never really hit me as a big deal,” Abeleda said.
But it was a big deal to his family. His 24-year-old brother, CJ, and 25-year-old sister, Mara, are no strangers to his room. The pair planned extended stays in Gainesville while Abeleda went through a new round of treatment.
Sharing his brother’s love of sports and his sister’s artsy side, Abeleda is often called a hybrid of the two.
Hearing they were both perfect bone marrow matches rendered that even more true.
As a male, CJ Abeleda presented the best opportunity for a successful donation, and he said he was honored to do it.
“When I’m old and gray, it will still be the luckiest thing I got to do,” he said.
“I have to do what he says now,” Abeleda laughed, then got serious. “No, I’m lucky. It’s nice knowing they would do that for me. I would do that for them.”
From left: CJ Abeleda, 24, embraces his brother, Chris Abeleda, 21, before Chris undergoes bone marrow transplant surgery. Earlier that day, CJ underwent surgery to donate the bone marrow used in the transplant.
“Hope for Hopper,” named for Abeleda’s childhood nickname, began as a team for UF’s annual Light the Night Walk in 2013, where he was the “honored hero.”
Now, friends and family can follow his journey to health on the “Hope for Hopper” Facebook page, which has also been chronicling the 18 days since the transplant.
Most of them choose the face-to-face route, however. He’s known as the celebrity on his hospital floor.
Avi Khorran said he and Abeleda clicked on move-in day freshman year when they were randomly assigned to bunk together in Tolbert Hall.
They talked until 5 a.m., played guitar and took a trip to Krispy Kreme. Now, the 20-year-old UF biology junior just can’t wait to have his best friend back at school with him.
It’s a mental game, he said, and all he can do is be there for him.
Abeleda’s room is often packed during the day, Khorran said, so he takes the night shift.
“He knows everyone,” Khorran said. “Everyone loves him. I wanted to be like him, and now he’s inspired me even more.”
After taking his freshman Spring semester off for treatment, Abeleda returned his sophomore year and earned a coveted spot as a Florida Cicerone, following his alumna sister’s path.
Abeleda didn’t expect to leave junior year early, but he chose to get treated at Shands to stay close to his friends and family.
His girlfriend, Kristyn Wong, sleeps over often.
The UF health science junior comes over to play Heads Up, watch the newest episodes of “Gotham” and just talk.
“He’s a strong person,” Wong, 20, said. “He’s determined in everything he does.”
From a Cicerone to a basketball player to a singer and guitar player, Abeleda seems to do it all — even in the confines of his hospital room, even as he loses his hair.
He never once complained, Khorran said, even before he got sick. He’s a tough guy.
When Abeleda first got sick, he called it a big flu, saying he’d be back in record time.
This time, he’s not thinking any differently.
“I can’t wait for him to keep getting better. I can’t wait to play basketball together again,” Khorran said. “I’m looking forward to spending senior year together.”
[A version of this story ran on page 1 on 2/10/2015 under the headline “UF student preps for senior year after bone marrow transplant"]
From left: Mara Abeleda, 25, Chris Abeleda, 21, CJ Abeleda, 24, Chris’ mother Victoria Abeleda, and father Charlie Abeleda, embrace the morning before CJ undergoes bone marrow donation surgery.
