Olivia's Health Update

The bone marrow transplant took place on Monday, October 20, as expected. Julia was admitted early Monday morning and by 10:45 Julia was in recovery. Doctors’, yes two of them, extracted 900 cc which was equivalent to 40% of Julia’s marrow. One doctor worked from the right side while the other worked from the left. Once Julia awoke, she was groggy and was in pain, so they gave her some morphine to make her feel comfortable. After about 30 minutes, Julia was allowed to go to Olivia’s room where she would witness her marrow go into Olivia through an IV.

Around 12:15 Olivia’s part of the transplant began. Since this was such a momentous event, several family members were allowed to be in the room to witness this occasion. In addition, a nurse was scheduled to be in the room to ensure if any difficulties such as breaking out in hives, a rash, fevers, rise in blood pressure, which are common with blood transfusions, she would be able to administer medications or contact the doctor as necessary. During the transfusion, Olivia did break out in hives and they were able to give her some medications to alleviate the itching she was experiencing. However, due to her breaking out in hives, they did have to slow the process down and instead of it taking around two hours, it took a little over three hours.

Both, Olivia and Julia had friends come by to visit that afternoon and evening which made them feel extra special! Now we don’t want to forget another important family member, our very own family cheerleader, Henrianna. Everyone needs a cheerleader to keep our family’s morale up and as positive as possible and she is doing her part very well. Julia did go home that night and was off from school the following day as well. On Wednesday, Julia went to school but only made it half a day as she was not feeling well. Julia is still experiencing some discomfort and soreness, but the pain is easing as the days continue to progress.

Olivia has some good periods of the day and some not so good periods of the day. Her blood counts are extremely low and she will feel this way for the next few weeks until her blood counts begin to develop. There are times when Olivia is chipper and sociable but there are other times when Olivia is uncomfortable, restless, in pain and just wants everything to go away and feel better.

Since Olivia’s immune system is extremely susceptible to infections, Olivia will remain in the hospital up to another four weeks. During this time, the doctor will be monitoring Olivia’s blood counts and for signals to ensure Julia’s marrow is being accepted by Olivia’s body. After Olivia is allowed to leave the hospital, she will be home bound for up to another three to four months. Again, these timeframes are approximates and could change either way.

Olivia is well on her way to a full recovery and we are thankful that Julia was a perfect match since results have proven that compete matches lead to a better chance of a full recovery. Mom and dad continue to thank all of our family, friends, and supporters for all your thoughts and especially your prayers.