Korei Melene Parker

Korei Melene, is 5 and she has very severe aplastic anemia. Aplastic anemia (AA) is a disease in which the bone marrow, and the blood stem cells that reside there, are damaged. This causes a deficiency of all three blood cell types (pancytopenia): red blood cells (anemia), white blood cells (leukopenia), and platelets (thrombocytopenia).Aplastic refers to inability of the stem cells to generate the mature blood cells. Course of treatment, blood transfusions, platelet infusions, steroids, ATG, cyclosporine and GM-CSF shots. She is required to be at St. Jude every day. The wonderful doctors at St. Jude have yet to figure out what the cause is. While St. Jude doesn't charge patients, there are other expenses such as gas, food, rent, utilities, etc. The mother, who is a single parent, is unable to work because Korei must be at St. Jude all day every day for treatments and check-ups. Korei also has 2 brothers, one with Asperger Syndrome, a high functioning form of Autism.