Age: 11
Hometown: Battle Ground, WA
Diagnosis: X-linked lymphoproliferative
disease (XLP)
Shoe: Air Zoom Pegasus 41
If you’ve never heard of XLP, you’re not alone. This immune system disorder is extremely rare, affecting only about one out of a million boys — and Tima is one of them. “I was
really sick,” he recalled of the years before his diagnosis. “I got super skinny and felt tired all the time.”
To help restart his immune system, Tima received a bone marrow transplant at Doernbecher on March 4, 2022, a day he refers to as his second birthday.
“The team at Doernbecher was amazing,” added his mom, Luba. “They made Tima feel right at home and decorated his room with all sorts of fun things so he wouldn’t feel scared. We knew he was in great hands.” Now that he’s feeling better, Tima can get back to all his favorite activities, like building LEGO sets, watching soccer and hanging out with his family. “He’s such a silly, mischievous kid,” said his big sister Elizabeth affectionately. “But he’s also really brave.”
When you look at Tima’s Pegasus 41, one thing is abundantly clear: Tima loves cats. His feline-inspired design features his cat, Murka, playfully hanging off the lateral Swoosh, as well as subtle paw prints and a fuzzy lace patch that looks like his favorite cat stuffie. “I also put a big paw print on the outsole so you can leave cat tracks wherever you go,” he explained.
The tropical colors on the back are a tribute to Tima’s bone marrow donor, who lives in Florida. “I went there to meet her, and she was so nice,” he said. (Her name can also be found on the tips of the laces, next to the date of his transplant.)
Tima has big plans to become an engineer someday so he can realize his dream of designing robots. And his first creation? “A robotic cat,” he grinned.
“The doctors made me all better,” he said. “I don’t even have to take medicine anymore!”
Tima
