SHEFFIELD, Alabama (WAFF/Gray News) – A 7-year-old Alabama boy is being called a superhero as he prepares to become a bone marrow donor for his younger sister.

Austen Dickerson, a second-grader at Threadgill Primary School, wants to give his four-year-old sister Addisyn Dickerson a life-saving gift: his perfectly matched bone marrow, WAFF reports.

Addisyn, who suffers from sickle cell anemia, will undergo a bone marrow transplant on September 11. It is hoped that the procedure will cure her of the disease. She has been receiving maintenance medication since she was nine months old.

“Addisyn knows her brother is a superhero, and he knows how important what he does for his sister is,” said the children’s mother, Autumn Dickerson. “They both understand all of this well beyond their young years.”

Dickerson says her children are part of an early prevention program to treat them before puberty, where they are both educated about the unique nature of sickle cell anemia and the role each child will play in Addisyn’s road to recovery.

Austen will donate the bone marrow from his lower back as an outpatient. He will have to isolate himself for two weeks before his sister’s operation.

In the meantime, Addisyn will begin chemotherapy next week to prepare.

“I am so proud of them both and their courage and determination to make sure Addisyn gets better,” said the children’s mother. “If Addisyn’s body accepts the bone marrow, she will be cured. Even if it doesn’t accept it completely, her prognosis is much better. We look forward to her being well again and being able to do everything she wants except play soccer. We are very hopeful.”

Austen will return to school the week after his donation. Addisyn, who attends preschool at Northwest-Shoals Community College, will finish her school year virtually.

Sickle cell anemia is a blood disorder that affects hemoglobin. One in 13 African Americans has sickle cell anemia.

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