He may not wear a cape, but at just four years-old, Michael is a superhero, and he’s not afraid to let the world know it!

“Ok, I’m a real-life superhero,” he says in a new video.“I got… I’m giving my brother… my… I’m giving my baby brothers the bone marrow.”

That’s right, Michael made the decision to save his twin brothers’ lives by giving them the bone marrow they need to survive.

Robin Pownall and her fiancé were stunned when they learned they were expecting twins, as they already had their hands full with Michael and his 9 year-old brother Dominick. The pregnancy was a difficult one, and twins Giovanni and Santino ended up being born prematurely at just 33 weeks.

After their birth, the twins spent five weeks in the ICU, where they were diagnosed with Chronic Granulomatous Disease (CGD), a rare immune disorder that makes it hard to fight certain infections.

“Santino was hospitalized for a wound infection, and we have been at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) ever since,” Robin recounted. “We realized the only way to live a normal, healthy life was through transplant.”

Dominick had previously had this same disease and was cured with a stem cell transplant. Doctors determined that Michael was a perfect sibling match for a bone marrow transplant, so Robin sat down with him to explain that if he chose to help his brothers, the procedure would hurt and would involve a big needle. However, this did not stop Michael at all, as he wanted to do whatever he could to save his brothers.

“He said, ‘Is it going to save them?’ We said ‘yes’ and he said, ‘Okay, I’ll do it then!’” Robin recalled. “He was scared initially as anyone would be, but his courage is far more than one of a 4-year-old!”

The twins are getting chemotherapy and are scheduled to get their transplant from their big brother this week.

“Michael is proud to be saving his twin brothers lives. He is so brave, he leaves his arm out for the nurse to draw his blood,” Robin explained. “He knows what he’s about to do. It’s truly inspirational. He gives me strength just watching how strong he is.”

In the end, Robin said it was the strength of her sons that got her through this difficult time.

“I am so scared and nervous for all three of my boys, but when I look into their eyes, I see strength,” she said. “I know everything is going to be okay.”

SHARE this story if this family inspires you!