A few months ago, we introduced you to Ace Pringle, the first-grader from Pacific Beach Elementary who is battling Multiple Phenotype Acute Leukemia. Since then, Ace has been going through chemotherapy treatments and hoping for remission.
Recently, Ace’s doctors recommended that he get a bone marrow transplant.
With a bone marrow transplant, the Pringle family has a few different options to get a donation. They could sign up for the national registry, look into stem cell research, or find a donor. Just this Tuesday, the Pringle family found out that Ace’s 3-year-old brother, Crue, is a perfect match.
“These next steps are going to be difficult, but the fact that Crue’s a match is huge,” says Ace and Crue’s mother, Amber Pringle. “As I look at this rambunctious 3-year-old, he has no idea what’s to come for him.”
While Ace has been going through chemotherapy, COVID-19 has swept across the world; but the Pringle family did not need to change their lifestyle as the city shut down. “When COVID-19 came, we were already living on lockdown. We were already wearing masks to the store,” says Amber. “It’s interesting that everything has caught up with us. It’s so surreal.”
Additionally, the virus has brought a silver lining to Ace’s battle with leukemia. “Ace has been able to join his first-grade class at PB Elementary with distance learning,” says Ace’s father, John Pringle.
Ace was homeschooled before the San Diego Unified School District stopped in-person classes due to COVID-19. Now, because of the shift to online learning, Ace has been able to rejoin his first-grade class on Zoom.
“It’s been nice for Ace to join his classmates,” says John Pringle. “He enjoys connecting with all his classmates all on one screen.”
“Never would I have imagined that all the kids would have this opportunity to do online learning,” adds Amber Pringle.
Although the COVID-19 pandemic has allowed Ace to learn with the rest of his class, the virus has had an adverse effect on his parents. John and Amber, both small business owners who put their careers on hold to care for Ace, were just getting back to work before the virus reached the city.
Over the past few months, the Pringle family has received assistance from family and friends. “We’ve really had a lot of support and we’re extremely thankful to everyone who has helped out,” says John Pringle.
Like the rest of the city and the nation, the Pringle family are staying home and keeping safe. Additionally, they are celebrating the fact that Crue will play a crucial role in helping his brother. For now, the family hopes that Ace will soon be in remission so that they can go ahead with the bone marrow transplant.
To help support Ace and his family, consider donating on their GoFundMe page at gofundme.com/f/ace-pringle-leukemia-fundraiser.
