Rona Updates: A big bump in the road

June 16, 2023

This week has been a rough one. One of the key risks for transplant of kids with Aplastic Anemia is the reemergence of viruses after the immune system is stripped away during conditioning. Earlier this week, we discovered that Rona is having a resurgence of CMV. It's taking over pretty quickly and she has been feeling the effects with high fevers and fatigue.

Unfortunately, her blood counts have also been impacted and it is increasingly looking like Rona's graft has now failed as a result of the virus. The first step is to get the CMV under control. Rona is on some heavy duty medications around the clock and we will know early next week if they are working. This weekend, Samtubia and I will also be tested to see which one of us can donate T-cells to her to help her body fight the infection, if the medications do not work. Once the infection is cleared, we will have a better sense of if her cell graft is still active. If it isn't, she will undergo a lighter-weight version of her previous conditioning, we will readminister cells, and the engraftment clock will start again. 

Please keep the prayers, good vibes, positive juju headed our way into and through the weekend. We will take them all.