Onute Wesley Peckham was born January 11, 1993 in Vaslui, Romania. He spent his first three years in various orphanages in Romania. In February, 1996, Onute was adopted by Chuck, Peggy and Chris Peckham.
Onute was a rambunctious, energetic, and charming boy. He was very athletic and loved swimming, wrestling, soccer, biking, roller blades and swinging on the swing set. He made friends easily and was very outgoing. He had a hug for everyone and a smile that could melt your heart.
Onute would wake each morning singing and ran nonstop until bedtime. His curiosity about everything was contagious as was his zest for life.
Onute was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia on November 2, 1996. He immediately began chemotherapy treatment at Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Cincinnati. Onute was in remission in December of ’96.
During his hospital stay, he charmed the nurses and doctors. No one could enter his room with a beeper or flashlight and expect to leave with it.
Onute’s leukemia relapsed in May of ’97. At that point, the Peckham’s, along with the hospital, actively began looking for a bone marrow match for Onute. After numerous attempts, Onute’s birth mother in Romania was tested but proved to not be a match. The members of Deerfield church, along with many friends of the Peckhams organized numerous fund-raisers and a bone marrow drive. Although the drive did not produce a match for Onute, a match was provided for another person who had been waiting.
In January of 1998, Onute received a cord blood transplant. The cord blood grafted in Onute and started producing new cells. Since his leukemia was not in remission, the new graft was fighting a losing battle and was soon overcome by the leukemia cells. Onute was released from the hospital under hospice care.
Onute died at age 5 on May 7, 1998.
Onute would not want us to remember all these sad statistics. He would say "Hoop de due, lets go play ball, dude." So we hope that you’ll remember Onute for his boundless energy, his winning smile and his zest for life.
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