Seeing how Deklan is a toddler, we had to make a listing for all of Deklan's friends! :)
To purchase a kids/adult shirt, or a woman's tank top with this same design, please click here.
You can help #bringdeklanhome! Purchasing one of these shirts will help pay some of our many medical bills!
For more photos and information about Deklan, please click here.
Don't
forget to share a photo of yourself in your Team Deklan shirt, please
share it with us on our Facebook page and use the hashtag #teamdeklan.
Thank you for your support!
After Evan and I found out we were having a baby, I dreamed of all the
fun adventures we would have together - first trip to the beach, first
outing to the zoo and aquarium, trips out of state to see family and
friends, etc. But when Deklan was diagnosed with Severe Combined
Immunodeficiency (SCID) in February of 2014, we quickly learned that our
adventures would need to be put on pause. SCID is a rare genetic
condition, where children are born lacking important immune cells needed
to fight off infections. Because of this, even a common cold can be
fatal for children with SCID. The only way to treat SCID is with a bone
marrow transplant.
Many states in the U.S. screen newborns for
SCID, but for us, unfortunately, North Carolina is not one of them. So
we found out the hard way by Deklan catching 3 viruses - H1N1,
enterovirus and rhinovirus - being in 4 different hospitals and ending
up in intensive care with his heart and lungs failing. Once he was
diagnosed, we were placed on isolation. Isolation is where Deklan could
not be taken out in public around people, could have little to no
visitors and having to be extremely cautious and careful about germs so
that he would not get any new infections. Anyone who does see Deklan
(including medical personnel) has to wear a gown, mask, and gloves.
Deklan
received his first bone marrow transplant (BMT) on 3/27/13, with his
Mother, Jenna, as his half-matched donor. After 10 months of waiting on
home in isolation, the first BMT was officially claimed to be
unsuccessful and we worked towards a second BMT, only this time Deklan
would need to undergo chemotherapy to wipe out what little white blood
cells he had and would be getting a BMT using an matched unrelated
donor. He received his second BMT on 2/12/15.
Since then, a lot
has happened. Deklan has engrafted and now we continue to wait and
monitor his levels frequently to see how his new cells are doing and
also to watch for any indication of graph versus host disease. He still
has the flu virus H1N1, which he has had for over a year now, and we
will be waiting for his body to clear that as well. We will be staying
locally to the hospital for +100 days post transplant, all while still
being on isolation. We will continue to be on isolation for about a year
post transplant. It all depends on Deklan's levels and how he is doing.
I talk a lot about adventures in my posts on the