The final Huntsville Havoc jersey auction of the summer is currently underway. The proceeds for a couple of the items on the list are going to a very special cause: Havoc stick boy Gavin Hershbine who is battling through a rare disease.
"It's a miracle that we still have our son. And if it wasn't for God, he woudn't be here," said Gavin's mom, Melissa Hershbine.
Gavin Hershbine is 16 years old, an age doctors at one point, never thought he'd reach.
When Gavin was 3 1/2 years old he was diagnosed with a rare incurable kidney disease called Nephrotic Syndrom.
"I don't even know how many times we've been in the hospital. It's probably into the thousands."
Growing up, Gavin spent the majority of his time in hospitals receiving various treatments including infusions, transfusions and a lot of medications.
A few years later at just 8 years old, Gavin had gone into complete kidney failure. He had to be put on dialysis.
Life kept hitting the Hershbine family hard. A couple of years later, they learned that Gavin was having heart failure.
"We knew that many times he probably didn't have very much longer to live because he was just so so so sick," said Mrs. Hershbine. "And the doctors would come in and say we don't know if he will make it through the night. There were times I didn't even want to go to sleep because I was scared that he was going to be gone when I woke up. Even though it was hard, what they did worked! All the dialysis strengthened his heart enough for a kidney transplant.
Four months after Gavin was placed on the transplant registry, he was able to receive a new kidney. Mrs. Hershbine said the procedure and surgery went well but not long after, the unthinkable happened.
"24 hours after the transplant, they told us that his primary disease had come back and was already attacking the new kidney the transplant. That was probably, out of all the things we'd been through, the hardest. Because we felt like we were right back to where we started."
Gavin then underwent a treatment (that is similar to chemotherapy) to cleanse his plasma from the disease.
After eight months, Gavin went into full remission. Mrs. Hershbine said, "For every bad thing, there was a miracle behind it."
For the past four years, Gavin has been the healthiest his family has seen.
In 2016, the Hershbine family moved to Huntsville from Arkansas. When they got to Alabama, they got a chance to experience their very first hockey game. And for Gavin, it was love at first sight.
"I remember it vividly back in 2017, because it really changed Gavin's life. We took our whole family and the passion that ignited.. Oh my goodnes. Gavin just loved it." said Mrs. Hershbine.
Gavin's classmates' father works for the Havoc and ultimately got the two connected. Gavin has now been a stick boy for the Havoc for the last two years. Whenever you talk to the players, they say he always has a smile on his face.
" I personally would've never ever known," said Havoc forward John Schiavo. "I've known him for two years. Seems like a strong tough kid and smiling and things like that. I would've never known."
Gavin doesn't let his condition define him, proof of that is the fact that Havoc players just learned this week of Gavin's condition.
"Since they found out, they have been sending him phone calls and text messages and I'm just so amazed that they have invested in him." said Mrs. Hershbine.
Unfortunately, recently Gavin has had to get another kidney biopsy done.
"We've been seeing some trending up in his kidney function labs and his nephrologist has been concerned about them." said Mrs. Hershbine.
The Hershbine family won't know the full results until May 5th.
But in the meantime, Gavin's favorite Havoc player John Schiavo made sure that the proceeds for a couple of the items in the Havoc auction goes to the Hershbine family.
If you would like to bid on the auction items to benefit the Hershbine family, here are the links.
To find more about organ donation, you can click here.