Princess Mira Bone Marrow
Donation protected
My name is Jenn and Mira is one of my daughters Bestfriends.
As some of you know This loveable little girl has Fanconi Anemia.
I, like many others, are at a loss to what we can do to help her and her family get through this.
Mira is happy little six year old, Who we all adore. And she makes me laugh when I only cook one box of Kraft Dinner and she asks for more. This girl can eat.
I am starting this page, because I would think the financial strain on a family with a sick child, can be stressful. Kristen is staying in Calgary with Mira at the children's hospital until the end of summer. Kristen's husband, Aaron is working in Lethbridge and taking care of Miras sister Ruby, commuting back and forth to Calgary on the weekends.
I would love for money not to be a worry for them, as they have enough to worry about. With expenses building up and more medical expenses to come, I couldn't imagine the stress they have, not only with a sick child but financially too.
Thank you all! It means the world to all of us to have great people like you helping.
For people wanting to follow Miras story, please visit Miras Bow and Arrow on Facebook.
Below is Kristens story of her daughter Mira:
Fanconi Anemia is incredibly complicated. Along with a huge list of potential birth defects (of which Mira had only one - a missing thumb), the chance of bone marrow failure is very very high, as is the early onset of a long list of different cancers including leukemia and skin cancer. Fanconi Anemia is also very rare with a rate of only 1 in 136'000 and has an average life expectancy of 30 years. People with Fanconi's are hypersensitive to chemo drugs so treatment is much more dangerous than normal. There are 19 Fanconi genes (found so far) which are responsible for DNA repair. When one (or more) gene is compromised, irregular cells are not fixed and build up in the body. This is one way that cancer starts. Radiation causes more cell damage, so it's also very dangerous.
In November, the Canadian bone marrow donor registry, OneMatch, found Mira a 10/10 donor. But this person was not available to donate until April. Over the last year we have watched Mira's counts get lower and lower. In the last 6 months she has started receiving red cell transfusions more and more often and recently began occasional platelet transfusions as well. In two weeks she will start the chemo conditioning to kill her failing bone marrow so that she can receive healthy stem cells from a perfect stranger. It's surreal to know that this person made the choice to give part of themselves to save Mira's life. As well as all the people that donated blood to keep her safe up until this point. Mira has a long road ahead, even after the transplant is over. She will be closely monitored for multiple cancers and secondary bone marrow failure for the rest of her life.
As some of you know This loveable little girl has Fanconi Anemia.
I, like many others, are at a loss to what we can do to help her and her family get through this.
Mira is happy little six year old, Who we all adore. And she makes me laugh when I only cook one box of Kraft Dinner and she asks for more. This girl can eat.
I am starting this page, because I would think the financial strain on a family with a sick child, can be stressful. Kristen is staying in Calgary with Mira at the children's hospital until the end of summer. Kristen's husband, Aaron is working in Lethbridge and taking care of Miras sister Ruby, commuting back and forth to Calgary on the weekends.
I would love for money not to be a worry for them, as they have enough to worry about. With expenses building up and more medical expenses to come, I couldn't imagine the stress they have, not only with a sick child but financially too.
Thank you all! It means the world to all of us to have great people like you helping.
For people wanting to follow Miras story, please visit Miras Bow and Arrow on Facebook.
Below is Kristens story of her daughter Mira:
Fanconi Anemia is incredibly complicated. Along with a huge list of potential birth defects (of which Mira had only one - a missing thumb), the chance of bone marrow failure is very very high, as is the early onset of a long list of different cancers including leukemia and skin cancer. Fanconi Anemia is also very rare with a rate of only 1 in 136'000 and has an average life expectancy of 30 years. People with Fanconi's are hypersensitive to chemo drugs so treatment is much more dangerous than normal. There are 19 Fanconi genes (found so far) which are responsible for DNA repair. When one (or more) gene is compromised, irregular cells are not fixed and build up in the body. This is one way that cancer starts. Radiation causes more cell damage, so it's also very dangerous.
In November, the Canadian bone marrow donor registry, OneMatch, found Mira a 10/10 donor. But this person was not available to donate until April. Over the last year we have watched Mira's counts get lower and lower. In the last 6 months she has started receiving red cell transfusions more and more often and recently began occasional platelet transfusions as well. In two weeks she will start the chemo conditioning to kill her failing bone marrow so that she can receive healthy stem cells from a perfect stranger. It's surreal to know that this person made the choice to give part of themselves to save Mira's life. As well as all the people that donated blood to keep her safe up until this point. Mira has a long road ahead, even after the transplant is over. She will be closely monitored for multiple cancers and secondary bone marrow failure for the rest of her life.
Organizer
Jenn Ruff-Sidorenko
Organizer
Lethbridge, AB