By: Daniel Nardini
Recently, my wife and I found out that our neighbor’s younger son has aplastic anemia. Aplastic anemia is a disorder where the bone marrow does not produce enough red blood cells to replace those red blood cells that wear out and die. This disorder is very rare, but potentially fatal. The doctors are trying out some new type of treatment to try and help this poor boy’s red blood cell count to go dramatically up. If this does not work, then they have to find a donor to help this poor boy receive a bone marrow transplant to help treat him. Even with a bone marrow transplant, his chances are not too good. None of these are words I want to hear. For that matter I don’t think anyone wants to hear them. His mother stays with him in the hospital everyday to comfort him. The whole neighborhood is praying for his recovery.
In this tragedy, at least my neighbor has insurance to help pay for almost all of the costs. The insurance helps to pay for the hospitalization, the mother’s stay, and of course the treatments and drugs needed for keeping the boy alive. In that sense of the word, the family is covered. Of course, my wife and I are concerned what our neighbors may have to pay what their insurance will not cover. Our neighbor John replied, “I can only pay what I can pay. If it is $5.00 dollars a day then that is all I can pay. I leave the rest to God.” He further stated that he cannot worry too much about the costs, and he and his wife will do all they can for their younger son as well as their older son. In his view, the money is not worth more than the life of his boy.
We all hope that there will be some cure, and that our neighbors’ younger son will be healthy again. My wife, having been a nurse, explained that this may not be possible. Even if somehow the new experimental drug worked, or if the bone marrow transplant worked, the boy will have to receive special drugs and follow-up treatment for the rest of his life. And according to my wife, even a successful bone marrow transplant does not guarantee a long life. Most patients with aplastic anemia, according to my wife, die within five years after they receive a matching donor for a bone marrow transplant. Some miraculously survive well past five years and may live for ten or even twenty years. However, all of them die young or in the beginning of middle age. Well, I believe that miracles are still possible, and that maybe, just maybe our neighbors’ younger son will be the beneficiary of more advanced technology that can prolong his life far beyond what is possible now. Even though the reality of today says that this poor boy may die young, I as well as our neighbors are clinging to the hope that even in this day of age medical miracles can happen.
A Childhood Tragedy
By: Daniel Nardini
In this tragedy, at least my neighbor has insurance to help pay for almost all of the costs. The insurance helps to pay for the hospitalization, the mother’s stay, and of course the treatments and drugs needed for keeping the boy alive. In that sense of the word, the family is covered. Of course, my wife and I are concerned what our neighbors may have to pay what their insurance will not cover. Our neighbor John replied, “I can only pay what I can pay. If it is $5.00 dollars a day then that is all I can pay. I leave the rest to God.” He further stated that he cannot worry too much about the costs, and he and his wife will do all they can for their younger son as well as their older son. In his view, the money is not worth more than the life of his boy.
We all hope that there will be some cure, and that our neighbors’ younger son will be healthy again. My wife, having been a nurse, explained that this may not be possible. Even if somehow the new experimental drug worked, or if the bone marrow transplant worked, the boy will have to receive special drugs and follow-up treatment for the rest of his life. And according to my wife, even a successful bone marrow transplant does not guarantee a long life. Most patients with aplastic anemia, according to my wife, die within five years after they receive a matching donor for a bone marrow transplant. Some miraculously survive well past five years and may live for ten or even twenty years. However, all of them die young or in the beginning of middle age. Well, I believe that miracles are still possible, and that maybe, just maybe our neighbors’ younger son will be the beneficiary of more advanced technology that can prolong his life far beyond what is possible now. Even though the reality of today says that this poor boy may die young, I as well as our neighbors are clinging to the hope that even in this day of age medical miracles can happen.