Please post your replies to DYngbld
DYngbld, My prayers continue for your family.
Blessings,
trussell
If you want on/off my prayer ping list, please let me know. All requests happily honored.
Posted on 04/23/2005 4:09:59 AM PDT by DYngbld
TO: THOMAS. YOU ARE THE BEST LITTLE BROTHER! I -- On a sign posted in Thomas Tatem's hospital room.
DURHAM, N.C.
When a nurse finally delivered the bag of deep-red liquid to Lisa Tatem, she cradled it like the most fragile piece of glass. She stood motionless in the hospital hallway and stared.
"My God," Tatem whispered. "That's really it."
Inside the pouch decorated with a "Finding Nemo" sticker were cells from her daughter's bone marrow, the soft tissue that makes blood cells needed to fight disease. Those cells, invisible to the eye, could heal her two other children - her beautiful, silly, Lego-loving boys, worn out by a week of powerful chemotherapy to prepare them for this day.
Transplant day.
In a few moments, 12-year-old Kaitlyn's cells would begin to fill their veins and bones, and, perhaps, cure them of a dangerous immune system disorder that threatened to cut their lives short. The siblings were such good matches that the odds are in their favor.
Seven hours earlier, surgeons at Duke University Medical Center had used a hollow needle to suck a quart of bone marrow from Kaitlyn's hipbones. They punched about 200 tiny holes into the bones of a girl terrified of needles.
A few months ago, in fact, Kaitlyn was too scared to be a donor. But she also understood all along that she was a medical wonder. In a world where many desperate families never find a bone marrow donor, she was a perfect match for Nathan, 9, and a near-perfect match for Thomas, 5.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailypress.com ...
Looks good today. The Doctors are finding white blood cells, that is a sign that the marrow is starting to work. Praise God.
The boys are still in recovery and isolation, but this is a great step.
Great news! I will continue to pray for them.
Prayers for Nathan and Thomas. And a big hug for brave Kaitlyn. God bless them all!
Latest: Nathan has a WBC of 0.2 ! (He is moving at a more normal pace and hasn’t had high fevers) Thomas has a WBC of 1.4 and ANC of 642 and will be declared officially engrafted today. (I hope everyone is keeping up with all these numbers, there will be a test later) When can they be out patient? When they have no fever, off pain meds, eating again and have a stable WBC. So maybe 2 more weeks. Very exciting stuff! Thank you God!
Praise God!!!
That is such wonderful news! I am so glad to hear that. Kids are so precious, I can't even imagine having to go through that as a parent. More prayers for continued healing on the way!
Please post your replies to DYngbld
DYngbld, My prayers continue for your family.
Blessings,
trussell
If you want on/off my prayer ping list, please let me know. All requests happily honored.
Prayers sent from TX.
Wonderful story. Prayers for all involved.
Absolutely wonderful!
Praying...
Carolyn
Wonderful news! Thank you for the update. Continued prayers sent.
Thank You Lord!
Joining the prayer warriors to keep this family before our Lord Jesus.
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