Donor and Patient Stories - Katie B.

How transfusions Helped Save Her

It is almost impossible to believe. The adorable little girl doing a “pillow slide” down the stairs of her home, making everyone laugh, was lying in a hospital bed, critically ill, a little over a year ago. Her parents didn’t know if she would survive. That week in June seemed fairly normal—until the nosebleeds started and wouldn’t stop. Katie B. was admitted to the A I du Pont Hospital for Children. There had been no signs of trouble before. Soon though, this energetic, happy, glowing little girl would be in for the fight of her life.

Katie was diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL). Her blood cell count was so low that the doctors were afraid she would bleed to death. Platelets and red blood cells were given to Katie immediately. Her mother, M.L., recalls, “If Katie had not had those transfusions, there would have been no need for chemotherapy.” Over the course of the three months she was hospitalized, Katie received multiple transfusions of platelets and red blood cells. “The transfusions helped save Katie,” says her mother. For the first six weeks, “teams of doctors and nurses worked on Katie until they got her out of the woods,” her father Gary recalls. Those six weeks would prove to be crucial, as all of the drugs, transfusions, and other treatments finally took effect. Katie stayed a full three months in the hospital. She had a few setbacks after she left, but nothing slowed her down. Her parents
are proud of her “fighting” attitude. “Even when Katie was really, really sick, you could still always get a smile,” her dad recalls.

Katie’s prognosis is now considered good. Her type of leukemia has an 80 - 90% survival rate, and although she cannot be considered cancer-free for five years, the Bickfords remain hopeful. Katie’s treatment now includes receiving chemotherapy once a month, nightly medications, and a spinal tap every three months.

Katie, now in kindergarten, is advanced in reading and math. She takes a special reading class and can add, multiply, subtract, and divide in her head. She also loves music. Her goal is to be in the hand bell choir at church as soon as she is old enough. Katie also knows the role she must play in her recovery. She knows all of the technical words surrounding her disease, medications, and treatments. If her routine varies at all or something is forgotten, she will, as her parents say, “be the first to point it out!” The Bickfords were familiar with Blood Bank of Delmarva through M.L.’s group membership as a state employee. She had given blood before as an “on call” LifeSaver donor but was not asked that often to donate. She recalls, “I had no idea what the blood was used for... you think about grown-ups needing blood for surgery; you don’t think of a 4-year-old with cancer.” When Katie is stable enough, M.L. plans to donate blood again. When asked what message she would like to send to people about the importance of blood donation she replied, “You guys already say it— you save lives. It is a wonderful way of giving something of yourself. You actually help save lives just by giving something your body automatically reproduces. I haven’t had to give blood since Katie was diagnosed, but can imagine when I do, I’ll be in tears. It is an incredible gift of life."

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