Andie's Transplant Journey

Hi! My name is Krista, and I'm a friend of the Morrison family. I have started this go fund me in hopes of taking some financial stress off their shoulders as their oldest daughter Andie prepares for a bone marrow transplant.

Here is a bit about Andie and her story:

Andie has a rare blood disorder called Diamond Blackfan Anemia (DBA). She was disgnosed as a newborn baby, and has had quite the health journey over the last 15 years. She is dependent on blood transfusions every 3 weeks to keep her body functioning. Although her body needs blood, the excess iron that comes with being regularly transfused is extremely toxic for the body. Andie is on desferal therapy which is a 12 hour infusion every day to take the excess iron out of her body. As a result, she has to have her eyes tested every 6 months due to potential side effects. In December, they found out that Andie was going peripherally blind due to the desferal. After a number of tests and trials, it has been confirmed that Andie can no longer be on desferal. The only other chelator is Jadenu which Andie already has severe reactions to. This leaves her with no ability to get the toxic iron out of her body. As a result, Andie is now on the path to Bone Marrow Transplant. SickKids have confirmed the first donor and are working to secure a second. The timeline is not 100% yet but the goal is some time in May.

Andie and her mom Jenn will move into SickKids hospital where she will undergo extensive chemotherapy to kill all of the cells in her body in preparation for the donor cells. They expect to be in Toronto 3-4 months between living at the hospital and living at Ronald McDonald house while she is an outpatient but still needing daily counts done.

This will be extremely difficult on the entire family as they are forced to separate for a few months during this process.

Please keep Jenn, Shawn, Andie, and Hannah in your prayers.