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Site last updated: August 31, 2009 |
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August 31, 2009
Since the end of June, Laraine, her parents and her sister were in Bloemfontein and nearer to home. They could all go home for the last couple of weekends. During the weeks they were staying in Bloemfontein. However, on the 27th of August, it was the first time since Laraine had the bone marrow transplant that Laraine could go to hospital only once during the week. From now on, if everything goes well, she will only have to go to hospital once weekly. Therefore they only have to stay in Bloemfontein for two nights and they can be home for the rest of the week – a huge improvement! The medication Laraine gets to protect her against rejection of the new cells, is slowly but surely being decreased because the various tests are showing that there is no longer any sign of the rejection or, as the doctors refer to it, the graft versus host. At the moment she still has to take in more than ten different medicines each day. Although it is a slow process, her immunity is improving and we are thankful for her progress up until now. The tuberculosis in the glands under her right arm has formed ulcers in her armpit as well as on her upper arm. It looks as if it should be very painful. It does hurt when someone accidentally touches her there and when she tries to push herself up on her arms. Luckily it doesn’t seem to bother her much otherwise. The doctor says it will get better when her immune system has improved enough. The tube through her nose has been removed before they came back to Bloemfontein. She had no appetite and her parents struggled to make her take in enough food but during the last week (from about the 22nd of August), Laraine started eating and drinking better. She is also feeling and looking better lately. Please pray with us that Laraine’s immunity will keep improving, that there will never be any rejection of the new cells again and that the tuberculosis will get better. Please also pray that she will eat and drink even better and that she will gain weight as she needs to. Thank you for all the support, prayers and financial assistance throughout this year. We never thought that so many people would care so much and we thank God for people like you.
May 26, 2009 Laraine had been discharged! The night of Monday, 11th of May, was the first night Laraine spent out of hospital in five month’s time. For the past week Laraine, her sister and her parents had been staying in an apartment near Cape Town. Laraine must still go to Rooikruis Hospital for treatment and check-ups twice a week. The various blood counts referring to her progress looks good. She is still struggling with eating and drinking and still has a tube through her nose for extra feeding as well as for the medicine against the tuberculosis. The glands affected by the tuberculosis don’t look well and is very painful. There is also still some rejection of the new cells going on inside her body which at times causes a rash on her skin and for which she is getting treatment. During the week after the last update, Laraine continued suffering from fever. The doctors determined that the fever was caused by an infection in the Hickman (the tube which was inserted under her skin a few weeks before the transplant). It had to be removed. After she had the operation the fever got much better. We are very thankful for the fact that Laraine doesn’t have to stay in hospital any more and also for her progress up until now. Thank you for every prayer! We still do not know how long it will take before Laraine can go home but we are looking forward to it. Please keep praying for Laraine, especially that the tuberculosis will get better, that the new cells will soon overcome the rejection and that she will achieve eating and drinking by herself soon without the help of a tube. Thank you!
April 27, 2009 Laraine’s white blood cell count is still increasing. There was also determined that Laraine’s blood has started to produce T-lymphocytes, which are the cells she ultimately needs to have a healthy immune system! We thank God for this! However, we want to ask you to please pray for Laraine… The tuberculosis she has got worse. Today (27th of April) the affected glands are still hard and painful and Laraine has fever every now and then. The rash she previously had (because of some cells in her body which are rejecting the new cells) has also spread all over her body. It causes her to itch extremely and her skin is peeling off. Please pray with us that the tuberculosis and the rash will quickly get better. Please also keep on praying for Laraine’s full recovery. Thank you.
April 20, 2009 You can help today! SMS CARE L to 38020 The cost is R10 per SMS. All proceeds will be transferred to Laraine's Medical Help Fund. The number will remain valid until the 30th of May, 2009. For other donations please see the details of Laraine's Medical Help Fund at the bottom of this page. Thank you!
April 20, 2009
The doctor said that he has never seen an increase in a patient’s white blood cell count this quickly after a bone marrow transplant during which cord blood cells were used. Because the effect of cord blood cells usually takes longer than cells from a bone marrow donor, it was expected that an increase would only be seen after about five or six weeks. Laraine’s white blood cell count started to rise after two and a half weeks! God is great! Thank you to every one who is still praying for Laraine. Last week Laraine was still very swollen and she had fever every now and then. She also had slime in her lungs and on Thursday afternoon the 26th of March, she struggled to breathe. We were very concerned and prayed a lot. Her lungs were tested for infection but luckily the slime in her lungs were not because of infection, but because of too much moisture in her body. The next day she was a bit better but she developed a rash all over her body. The doctor said that she got the rash either because there were only a few cells in her body which were rejecting the new cells or because her body was starting to reject the new cells completely. If her body would reject the new cells completely she would get very sick and the bone marrow transplant would probably be unsuccessful… That same day however, her white blood cell count increased from 0,2 to 0,5. The next day the count was 1,24! According to the doctor, this meant that her body was not rejecting the new cells and it was an indication that the bone marrow transplant had been a success!
Something else which we are very thankful for, is that the tuberculosis Laraine has, didn’t get any worse, despite the chemotherapy. The doctor also expected that she would probably get an infection because it usually happens one week after a bone marrow transplant, but Laraine didn’t! Please pray with us that Laraine’s white blood cell count will only get higher and that she will continue recovering as miraculously fast as she did until now, without any setbacks. Thank you!
March 10, 2009
Laraine looked and felt very good and that evening she laughed louder than ever before! Also on Wednesday and Thursday everything went well. From that Friday however, things got harder. Laraine suffered from diarrhea, stomach ache and nausea. On Sunday she also had a sore throat and her face was swollen and she didn’t feel well at all. On Monday she felt better. Tuesday until today (Friday the 20th) the diarrhea and occasional nausea persisted. The sores in her mouth and throat got worse and are still very painful. It made her mouth bleed at times during the past few days. Yesterday she had fever as well. Her face is a little bit swollen again today, but luckily the fever is under control. What is good to know is that, according to the doctors, all of these things are normal side effects from the bone-marrow transplant and preceding chemotherapy and nothing unexpected happened to be concerned about. The tuberculosis also didn’t get any worse, which we are very thankful for.
Please pray with us now that the side effects will quickly start to disappear and that God will especially protect her against fever and infection. It is very hard for Laraine’s parents to see her suffering from the side effects. It is also hard for them to be away from their other little girl a lot of times. They are doing their best to spend special time with her when they are able to and luckily they have family near Cape Town who are helping to take care of her. Please pray for Laraine’s parents and little Suzanne as well and that they will experience God’s peace-giving love each day. Thank you again for every contribution already made. We sincerely appreciate it and it really helps a lot. Even though the transplant had already been done, a huge part of the costs must still be paid for and therefore we continue raising funds to help Laraine and her family. Please scroll down (or click here) for banking details and contact information regarding Laraine’s Medical Help Fund.
February 27, 2009 The search for suitable bone marrow went on for the whole of January 2009. Blood from an umbilical cord from England proofed to be the closest match found and the doctor who is responsible for doing the bone marrow transplant, has decided to use it. On the morning of the 23rd of February 2009 Laraine was transferred by plane to Rooikruis Hospital in Cape Town. Her parents drove to Cape Town the day before and were waiting for her at the hospital. It was quite nerve wrecking to know that she had to be flown all the way without having her parents with her, but her heavenly Father and the medical personnel who accompanied her took very good care of her. She arrived safely and was full of smiles for the rest of the day. As planned, Laraine should receive the bone marrow transplant on the 10th of March in the UCT- part of Grootte Schuur Hospital. She must be transferred there on the 1st of March, when preparatory treatment will be started.
January 2009 Laraine Botha has recently been diagnosed with a very rare immune disorder called “Severe Combined Immunodeficiency” (SCID). Because of this condition, any common illness can be life threatening to her. She was born on 6 June 2008 - a very friendly and beautiful blue-eyed baby girl. Since 2 December 2008 she has been treated in the intensive care unit in Rosepark Hospital, Bloemfontein, South Africa. The good news is that there is a cure for babies with this very rare disorder through means of a bone marrow transplant. Because of her low immunity, doctors had to treat her for several life threatening infections including tuberculosis she contracted from the vaccination at birth. These infections are currently under control, but she is urgently in need of bone marrow that closely matches her own. Blood test done on her immediate relatives (parents and sister) proofed to be only half-matched. Consequently, bone marrow must now be looked for in non-related donors as listed in the bone marrow registries of South Africa as well as overseas. There are several million potential donors registered worldwide, but finding a match is still difficult. Bone marrow from potential non-related donators must be thoroughly tested to ensure that it matches Laraine’s very closely. It may take several months before a suitable donor can be found and before the transplant can be carried out. In the mean time, Laraine must remain in intensive care because of the inability of her immune system to protect her from any infectuous diseases. The whole process is incredibly expensive. What the ultimate total financial cost will be is still unknown. Hospital costs, finding a suitable donor, bone marrow transplants and aftercare costs could add up to millions. A Medical Help Fund was established by Laraine’s family to assist them in dealing with the financial aspects. Please help by giving any contribution. If many people give a little, it can make a huge difference! A link is provided where more information can be found on becoming a potential bone marrow donor to possibly help Laraine or anybody else in a similar position.
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| How You Can Help | More Photos |
1. Financial assistance Bank details for the fund: Standard Bank If you are outside South Africa, the Swift Code plus the account number is: SBZAZAJJ143442112 Contact numbers regarding the fund: |
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2. Become a bone marrow donor Becoming a bone marrow donor is a simple process and could help Laraine and countless others. For more information please visit http://www.sunflowerfund.org.za/ |
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3. Link to this web site Help us get the word out by linking to this web site. |
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Thank you. Please pray with us for Laraine’s recovery.
Laraine’s white blood cell count has started to increase! This is an indication that the bone marrow transplant had been successful!
On Sunday the 29th of March her white blood cell count had increased to 2,58! The doctor was so satisfied with her progress that, for medical reasons, he stopped giving the medication boosting her white blood cells. He said that during the following days the count could decrease because she doesn’t get the boosting medication any more. Since then her white blood cell count increased as well as decreased again and today (2nd of April), it is 2,5. The rash on her body as well as the swelling is a lot better and there’s no problem with her lungs anymore. She still has a rash under her eyes and her buttocks are very red, because of side effects, but otherwise she looks good.
On Tuesday the 10th of March, the day after the bone marrow transplant, 
Despite everything Laraine is growing and she is getting her first two teeth.
