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Transfusion of Stem Cells Seems to have Worked for Algonquin Girl
Patrick Garmoe
Daily Herald Staff Writer
Chicago Daily Herald
Bell & Howell Information
01 January 2006
For the Tuckers, 2005 was all uphill, but it paid off.
"We're doing good," said Julie Tucker.
"Good" is putting it mildly. At the beginning of 2005, they were seriously concerned that their baby, Jessica, might well be dead in a few years.
The Algonquin couple, who hail from the suburbs - Julie grew up in Palatine and Tom in Streamwood - spent a good chunk of early 2005 in a hospital room.
Jessica was born in April 2004 with a disease called Niemann- Pick Type A, which means her brain wouldn't produce an enzyme called acid sphingomyelinase.
Without this enzyme, cells die, entire organs shut down, and children suffering from it die by the age of 4.
Doctors said there was no known cure.
On March 5, doctors at a Minnesota hospital gave Jessica a transfusion of stem cells, taken from donated umbilical cord blood, in an experimental treatment her parents hung their hope on.
This blood, which contains high levels of blood-forming cells, is collected from the umbilical cord and placenta after a baby is born, according to the National Marrow Donor Program.
The hope was that these cells would multiply and produce acid sphingomyelinase, which would keep Jessica alive.
It worked.
Nearly a year later, Jessica is alive and producing the enzyme. So far, things are good.
It's slow, mom says, but she's recovering.
"She's getting stronger, little by little."
Jessica's also had a feeding tube inserted, because she was only able to eat by mouth about a fourth of what she needed, Julie said.
The adequate nutrition made a major difference as well.
Now she has the energy of a typical child of 21 months.
Instead of describing her as a "wet noodle," as she was before the surgery, Julie says now Jessica is feisty, all smiles, and laughs a lot.
She's starting to get up on her stomach and elbows, and rolls from side to side.
"They're little in the grand scheme of things, but she's starting to do some things," her mom said.
Come March, it will be a full year since surgery.
"We are going to throw her a big party," Julie promises.
Julie said her family is still getting lots of support from the community, and encouragement from around the country.
You can read about the entire family on the Tucker family blog, http://www.babyjessica.net.
"It's been a long year, but it's been good," she said.
Caption: algjessica-1ne063005pk Julie Tucker encourages her daughter Jessica to sit up in June. Jessica, who has a rare disease, is doing better since she had an experimental stem cell treatment. Patrick Kunzer/Daily Herald
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