18 Month Old Recovering From Wiskott- Aldrich Syndrome After Operation

Wiskott - Aldrich Syndrome (WAS) is found primarily in males and is quite rare. Out of 1 million males,there will be between 1 and 10 cases. Women are the carriers of the disease. WAS creates an immune dificiency and reduces the ability to form blood clots,which makes the individuals prone to bleeding,bruising and infections. A normal blood plate-let count is between 100,000 and 300,000. Declan Petticrews was at 11,000 prior to the operation. Declan is just down right cute. He has big brown eyes,a precious smile and a knack for blowing kisses. But this 18 month old little boy has had a rough nine months. He along with his parents, Eric and Meagan, has been in St. Louis for that entire time. And they have spent countless hours at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Childrens Hospital. Declan, who was born febuary 13 th in 2015, was diagnosed with the disease. He looked perfectly healthy when he was born, Meagan noted. But when he was about two months old, she noticed red speckles on his legs. So she took him for a checkup. They did blood tests, and two days later, they were in St. Louis meeting with a specialist. The doctor said he would not be strong enough for the operation and treatment, Meagan explained. Declan returned to the hospital in early november last year. By Nov 10 th he started chemotherapy. Nov 20 Th he had bone marrow transplant. He had to wear a helmet and they had to be very careful with him. A virus or even a common cold could have been very deadly. The transplant operation was successful, but Declans body reacted badly. He developed Graft VS Host Disease (GVHD) in his stomach. That resulted in severe diarrhea issues; as many as 40 times per day. Plus, his original cells were trying to fight off the new cells from the transplant.