This July, Ann-Marie Nickerson was a little concerned when she signed her son Cody up for kindergarten. Although an active kid, even strangers remarked that Cody seemed to have a lot of bruises.  Afraid that people would think she was abusing her son, she took him to the doctor's.

Cody was diagnosed with acquired aplastic anemia, a rare blood disorder where the bone marrow stops producing blood cells which carry oxygen through the body, fight disease, and help control bleeding and bruising.  Doctors told Nickerson that they see the disorder affect kids in Massachusetts about once every four or five years.

The Nickersons' lives completely changed.

"You almost have to keep him in a bubble," said Cody's mom, Ann-Marie Nickerson.  "But you can't, because he's five-years old."

Cody's treatment involves once- or twice-a-week blood transfusions at the Floating Hospital for Children, at Tufts Medical Center, in Chinatown. He has already undergone a four-day hospital stay for immuno-suppressive therapy.  He is also matched with a bone-marrow donor for a future operation that will require at least 100 days in a hospital.

But not only has this process been difficult on Cody, it has taken a toll on the Nickerson's finances.   So the family is holding a bake sale the weekend of December 4 and 5, to help raise money to defray expenses attributed to the illness.

The owners of Crusty's Pizza, in Swifts Beach, Ann-Marie and her husband Bill divide duties between Cody and the restaurant.  Unfortunately, both the restaurant's business during the winter months and Cody's needs are unpredictable.  This constant care has disqualified Bill from finding a full-time or regular part-time job while she spends all day at the restaurant.

As a result, the family had its propane tank removed from their home, preventing them from being able to cook the special meals that Cody needs.  Fuel assistance provided a couple hundred dollars, but not enough to pay their bill for the winter, Ann Marie said.  They have received an eviction notice from their landlord.  And the hospital stay for the bone-marrow transplant will cost at least $2,000 - Cody is covered by Mass Health - at the rate of $20 per day.  Unbelievably, however, parking at the hospital will cost $33 a day!

Ann-Marie hopes that the bake sale will help defray costs.  Anybody is welcome to donate a baked good to the sale, just drop-off your item at Crusty's.  The sale will take place on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the restaurant.  She has also set up a savings account in Cody's name at Sovereign Bank to accept monetary donations.

Meanwhile, Nickerson said she is trying to maintain the outlook of the doctors - "they just take it one treatment at a time until something works," she said. - and try to move forward against a cruel diagnosis.

"Kids just don't deserve these kind of diseases at this age."

To contribute to the bake sale, please deliver a baked good to Crusty's Pizza, 167 Swifts Beach Road, Wareham.  The sale will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both Saturday, December 4 and Sunday, December 5.  Contact Ann-Marie Nickerson at 508-273-0324 for more information.