UNION GROVE - The first thing visitors to the Luxem household do when they walk in the door is rub on some hand sanitizer.

There's a reason for this. The nine-year-old resident of the Union Grove home has leukemia, and is susceptible to disease.

"You turn into a bit of a germophobe," said his mother, Amy Luxem. "Every infection at this point postpones heading for bone marrow transplant."

Ryan Luxem and his family are have been battling his cancer, T-Cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, for years. Now, they are looking to a transplant as a possible cure.

For the Luxems, everything is a balancing act - with time, with taking care of themselves, with giving Ryan's younger brother and sister the attention they need.

Always, they must be prepared for the unexpected.

"It's scary because things can happen so fast," Amy Luxem said. "He can be completely well one day, but if he gets some sort of an infection he can be hospitalized."

The relapse

Ryan swings on an exercise machine as his mother begins describing the preparation time for a bone marrow transplant. The week before, he had gone to Children's Hospital of Wisconsin for chemotherapy every day, from Tuesday through Saturday.

The long-term plan for getting a bone marrow transplant depends on how each round of chemo goes.

"At this point, when we ask what's next, they say 'Let's just get through this week,'" Amy Luxem said.

After the transplant, Ryan can expect at least 40 days in the hospital, if there are no complications. If all goes well, his new bone marrow will be functioning in a year. The first six months will be the crucial period if there's a relapse.

"Our doctor said, 'We've learned from leukemia parents that they never stop sweating,'" Amy Luxem said. "There's no planning. There's no planning at all."

The first time around, Ryan had over two years of chemo - he was diagnosed on May 2, 2006 and finished June 30, 2008.

About six months later, it was back. His relapse was diagnosed on Jan. 2, at a routine check-up. Now he's a regular at the hospital, getting stronger doses of chemotherapy to prepare for a transplant, which could happen as early as next month.

Ryan says his favorite thing to do at the hospital is watch TV. They have stations the family doesn't get at home, Amy adds - he can watch "Spongebob Squarepants" there.

He's also an origami aficionado.

"When I went to visit him at the hospital after I hadn't been up there for a while, I'm walking past the nurses' station and there's all these little origami things sitting there," his mother said. "They were putting in requests, right?"

He explains his talent in a matter-of-fact way.

"I just started folding one day and I came up with a fortune-teller," he said.

Ryan's in fourth grade at Union Grove Elementary School, but he hasn't been to school since Christmas break. They're hoping he can go back to school in September, which the doctor says is possible, if everything goes well.

Earlier this month, Amy Luxem took off from her job as a Spanish teacher at Wilmot High School in Kenosha County. She will be off the rest of the semester. Matt Luxem, a home-improvements contractor, schedules work when he can.

They're both taking off work in the month of March, as Ryan may be hospitalized for the transplant. His three-year-old brother, Seth, is a match and will likely be the donor.

Community help

The Luxems are getting support as they prepare for the transplant.

Southeastern Mechanical, an HVAC contractor in Union Grove, is starting a program where they will donate $10 from every service call and $50 from every installation to the family.

"If we are doing ok, I would say that this thing would be pretty much indefinite until the family didn't need it anymore," said sales and marketing representative Michelle Lipp.

The people at Southeastern Mechanical found out about Ryan because owner Charlie Willkomm's children go to the same daycare as Seth Luxem.

"Union Grove is a small community, and you have to stick together as a small community," Willkomm said.

Willkomm said he and the other owner, Walter Dosedla, have written to the village's Chamber of Commerce to ask if other businesses want to get involved.

"You get one person to start, others may start too," Dosedla said. "And who knows where that will go."

Getting help from groups such as Southeastern Mechanical relieves the Luxems of some of the weight on their shoulders.

"We've been able to not worry about the finances as much," Amy said. "We can focus more on how he's doing, and the effect on the other two."

The group is one of many who have helped the Luxems. The giving has come from neighbors and co-workers, people at church and at the children's schools.

It has meant giving gas cards to pay for their frequent trips to the hospital, or cooking them meals, or shoveling their driveway. Kids at Ryan's school send him origami projects. People show up on their doorstep with restaurant gift certificates or homemade food. And Sofia Luxem's kindergarten teacher knows to give her a hug if she needs it.

"A lot of times the emotional support is just the biggest thing," Amy Luxem said.

"We've learned from this experience to not be surprised, but grateful," she said. "There are so many people out there that are willing to help."