Owen’s Hope: His Fight for Healthy Bone Marrow

Summary:

Owen, our youngest son, was recently diagnosed with aplastic anemia, a life-threatening illness that causes a critical shortage in red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. He is unable to regulate the oxygen in his blood or to fight off infections, and his blood does not clot properly. We do not know the cause of his illness, but we have a plan to treat it—hopefully, to cure it. Very soon, Owen will be traveling to Denver, Colorado, for additional tests. He will have to undergo chemotherapy to eradicate his faulty bone marrow, and he will have a bone marrow transplant, if we are able to find a matching donor. This campaign will help us to pay for the travel and medical expenses we will incur in the coming months.

Owen’s Story:

On October 20th, Owen’s life changed forever. After a series of nosebleeds, some of which lasted more than an hour, we took him to the hospital to get some labs done. That same night, during dinner, we received a call from Owen’s pediatrician, who gave us news no parent wants to hear. He told us Owen’s blood levels were critically low, and that he would need to be admitted to Montana’s only children’s hospital (three hours away, in Kalispell) to receive an emergency blood transfusion and to undergo additional testing.

Several transfusions, myriad tests, and two bone marrow biopsies later, Owen was diagnosed with aplastic anemia. His bone marrow is functioning at only 20 percent, which means all his blood types are critically low. Most frighteningly, his blood does not clot properly, and he is extremely vulnerable to sickness and infection. His little, four-year-old body, which looks so happy and healthy from the outside, is full of weakness and turmoil inside.

Next week, Owen and Tamara will be traveling to Children’s Hospital Colorado to meet with his specialist, Dr. Nakano, who will order additional testing to finalize a treatment plan. The only known cure for aplastic anemia is to kill off his faulty bone marrow with chemotherapy and to give him a bone marrow transplant from a matching donor. It’s rare to find a bone marrow match, but the best chance comes from a sibling donor, and Owen has two amazing big brothers who would do anything for him. We don’t want to leave any stones unturned, so the whole family has been swabbed and tested, and we hope to hear some results soon.

If and when Owen’s doctors find him a match, he and Tamara will have to stay in Denver for a minimum of 100 days. Much of this time will be spent in the hospital, where Owen will undergo chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant. If his numbers improve after the transplant, the doctors will release him to stay in a nearby hotel (must be within 15 minutes of the hospital) and will continue to monitor his numbers until they improve. Obviously, they also want to be sure that his body won’t reject the donor tissue.

We never expected that our happy, crazy kid would have to go through something like this. It breaks our heart to hear him say that he’s sick, and for us to see him dreading to get poked with more needles. He’s been so lonely cooped up in the house, but he’s been a true hero through it all. Even when he’s scared, he finds a way to grin and bear it, and he wraps those doctors and nurses around his finger with a smile and a giggle.

We know this time of year is tough for many people. In many ways, despite Owen’s illness, we are quite fortunate. Still, Owen’s coming treatment will stretch Jesse’s teaching salary to the limit. If you can donate to help us with Owen’s medical bills and travel expenses, we would be extremely grateful. We don’t expect anything from anybody, and there are many ways to show your support to Owen without giving any money. If you would like to show your support for Owen’s battle with aplastic anemia, blood donations would mean as much or more than monetary donations. There is a critical blood shortage in the United States and donating blood will help many people—including Owen, who will receive regular transfusions to keep his platelets and hemoglobin at safe levels.

Thank you all so much for caring for Owen. We appreciate you all for the love and support you have shown our family. Thank you for giving Owen hope!