Oklahoma Family Suing Massachusetts Sperm Bank

An Oklahoma Family is suing a sperm bank in Massachusetts after their son was born with Cystic Fibrosis.  

Jaxon Kretchmar is not even two years old and he takes 20 pills a day. He also has three breathing treatments just to feel normal. The toddler suffers from cystic fibrosis. But his parents say the genetic disease could have been avoided.

Jaxon may look like a healthy little boy on the surface, but for three hours of the day his laugh is masked by treatments. The breathing treatments, a special vest, and medication all help fight Cystic Fibrosis, the pulmonary disease Jaxon began battling at birth.

Jaxon's parents Brian and Sharine Kretchmar say they're confident they took every step possible to make sure they would have a healthy child. The couple purchased sperm from the New England Cryogenic Center known nationally as NECC. They say the company's website promised all donors are screened and tested for diseases including cystic fibrosis. But after Jaxon's birth the couple says a leftover vial of their donor tested positive for the gene.

The Kretchmars filed a lawsuit against the NECC, but a spokesperson for the company tells News 9 other families who purchased vials from the same donor do not have children with this disease. But the Kretchmars know Jaxon could not have cystic fibrosis without receiving the gene from his mother and the donor. So as Jaxon battles his disease, his parents fight off thoughts of losing their son.

The NECC spokesperson also tells News 9 the company is surprised by Jaxon's disease, saying NECC purchased the donor from another company, Rocky Mountain Cryo in Wyoming after it provided NECC with documentation proving the donor tested negative for cystic fibrosis and other diseases. But the Kretchmars feel NECC should have disclosed that the testing occurred in the 90's, and was done by a third party.

The Kretchmars attorney says, since the lawsuit, the sperm bank has changed its website several times to add disclaimers about testing. The company responded by saying they change the website daily to keep the most accurate information,

The company also tells News 9, NECC is no longer selling that donor or any other donor from Rocky Mountain Cryo since the questions have come up.