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Our campaign is to raise funds to support an amazing family through a difficult battle. Brodie is my cousin's son, a kind, sweet and until recently a very active 8-year old boy. Brodie was diagnosed with Severe Aplastic Anemia in late July 2019 after a couple of months of odd symptoms, trips to the hospital and dozens of tests. Now that we know what he is facing - a rare blood disease in which the bone marrow does not make enough blood cells for the body - we know he has a long and hard journey ahead of him. This bone marrow failure disease is fatal if left untreated, with only 2 out of every 1 million people are diagnosed with Aplastic Anemia each year.
Brodie has been undergoing platelet and red blood cell transfusions regularly (as in weekly, if not more often) since his symptoms began and on July 23rd began treatment with ATG (Anti-Thymocyte Globulin), an immunosuppressive chemotherapy, as well as Cyclosporine- an additional immunosuppressant medication taken orally twice a day. For now, we wait to see if this drug therapy will work to stop the activity of the immune cells that are damaging his bone marrow; which if successful will help the bone marrow recover and generate new blood cells. We are praying that this will work for Brodie!!! In the meantime however, with literally no immune system Brodie has been in the hospital trying to fight off with antibiotics the numerous infections that his little body can't fight itself.
Unfortunately, if the immunosuppressive therapy isn't successful, Brodie will need a bone marrow transplant. But for now, we remain optimistic that it won't come to that!
Brodie's mom has had to quit her job to stay in the hospital with Brodie and the financial strain only adds to her unimaginable worry and stress. We are hoping that through this campaign we can alleviate just a bit of that stress.
And if you are not able to donate monetarily - please consider being a blood donor, platelet donor and/or bone marrow donor.
Thank you for reading this and thank you for your support!
Learn more about Aplastic Anemia
Robyn Neal & the Whattam Family
Brodie has been undergoing platelet and red blood cell transfusions regularly (as in weekly, if not more often) since his symptoms began and on July 23rd began treatment with ATG (Anti-Thymocyte Globulin), an immunosuppressive chemotherapy, as well as Cyclosporine- an additional immunosuppressant medication taken orally twice a day. For now, we wait to see if this drug therapy will work to stop the activity of the immune cells that are damaging his bone marrow; which if successful will help the bone marrow recover and generate new blood cells. We are praying that this will work for Brodie!!! In the meantime however, with literally no immune system Brodie has been in the hospital trying to fight off with antibiotics the numerous infections that his little body can't fight itself.
Unfortunately, if the immunosuppressive therapy isn't successful, Brodie will need a bone marrow transplant. But for now, we remain optimistic that it won't come to that!
Brodie's mom has had to quit her job to stay in the hospital with Brodie and the financial strain only adds to her unimaginable worry and stress. We are hoping that through this campaign we can alleviate just a bit of that stress.
And if you are not able to donate monetarily - please consider being a blood donor, platelet donor and/or bone marrow donor.
Thank you for reading this and thank you for your support!
Learn more about Aplastic Anemia
Robyn Neal & the Whattam Family