Monday, June 30th

Day 14 Hospitalization / Day 3 Post Transplant

Camryn continues to do very well. She has been very alert and active, even talkative. Her progress has been very, very good. Only one complication, she has developed an "air pocket" outside of her lung against the chest cavity wall. She was placed on oxygen last night and throughout the day to day to help dissipate the air pocket (has something to do with air pressure), which I will not even to try explain.  Camy will have another X-ray tomorrow morning and then we will know if the oxygen mask worked. If not, a needle will be used to "deflate" the air bubble. Camryn does not know that…yet. Lee Ann can tell her. Camryn still has her hair and no mouth sores. We hope it stays that way, at least for as long as possible. Camy has been downing snow cones, all that she wants to have. This might gross out some of you, but Camryn did have a little vomiting bout yesterday and was fascinated with all the colors of the liquid upchuck (compliments of the snow cone syrup). Sorry, I just had to tell that story, I found the whole thing hilarious. This I know, it's OK to laugh given the circumstances. Morgan continues to be lazy during her "recuperating" period. She is doing just fine and winces in pain only when I am around. It's not working Morgan, time to start babysitting again. Oh, what cruel world! Truth be told, had I gone through what Morgan did, I would still be in bed…watching the World Cup.

Post Transplant: Where do we go from here?

Saturday / Sunday
June 28th - 29th
Days 2-3 post transplant

Camryn continues to do well. She is exhausted, in fact we all are, which is why I am combining two posts into one. Casey spent Saturday night with Camryn at the hospital so Lee Ann and I could just go home to sleep. Lee Ann slept 10 hours, she never does that; and we're not the ones who had marrow extracted or had the actual transplant. Morgan slept last night 10 hours as well. She was hurting pretty much all day yesterday, but things seemed to improve last night. Saturday morning Morgan had her massive bandage removed from her lower back, which revealed two "red dots" on both sides of her upper hip where that long needled was inserted to extract the marrow. I know that Morgan is so relieved to finally have the procedure over. She has known since February that her marrow was the perfect match for Camryn; that is a long time span to manage your fears and anxieties regarding the procedure, which she did exceptionally well.
So now the waiting game begins for Camryn and for us. With the marrow in place, we now manage the expected side effects of the transplant, and residual effects from chemotherapy. First the chemo, the side effects linger despite last Thursdays being Camryn's last day of receiving the toxic treatment. As I have previously mentioned, mouth sores are the biggest culprit. Think of a canker, not one, but dozens inside your mouth and raw. Ever eaten ketchup or mustard while you had a canker? That is only a fraction of the resemblance of the potential mouth pain that Camryn faces. Which is why her four-times-per-day oral cleansing routine right now is so critical. Being vigilant in the cleansing routine can help reduce the severity of the sores. Second issue, from an emotional perspective, is hair loss. Both of these issues are expected to begin this week. We have been quite open with Camryn regarding this issue, and she has seen many of the other children in the unit who have already hit this phase in their own treatments. We are prepared with a couple of options, which Camryn has chosen. They will be revealed in time, at her discretion.
Camryn has a stay of four more weeks in the hospital. That time assessment is based on numerous parameters, but primarily the average time it takes a bone marrow transplant patient to produce a minimum level of white blood cells, still low, yet enough to be considered a functioning immune system. During this time frame, Camryn's body is highly susceptible to infections from bacteria or viruses. As she rests beside me right now, she literally has no immune system. It takes time to rebuild. Also, even though Morgan's marrow is a "perfect match", Camryn's body may still reject the transplanted marrow, which presents an entirely set of additional complications. So, to help the "acceptance" process, Camryn is on varying doses of anti rejection ( my term) medication and is being closely monitored for any signs of rejection. For us as parents, and for Camy, the emotional roller coaster of all of this is never ending. That is one reason why we experienced relief, if but for a few moments, from Friday's successful bone marrow transplant. As the day has progressed today, Camryn has become more lively, talkative, and active. Now, let's hope this trend continues...

Harvest Day / Transplant Day

Friday, June 27th
Day 11 in the hospital

Day 0, transplant day

PART ONE
What a fascinating and intriguing day. Everything went well, very well. The pictures below show the chronological order of events. Two parts to today's event; Morgan's marrow harvesting and Camryn's infusion of the harvested marrow. As I mentioned last night, Morgan's day began at 6:00 am in the surgery waiting area. She was all prepped and ready by 8:00 am and the procedure was completed around 10:00 am. Approximately 27 ounces of marrow was harvested. According to Dr. Frangoul, Morgan's marrow is loaded with everything that Camryn needs (my own terminology). Morgan needed some time in recovery to wake up, then needed some additional pain meds as the anesthesia began wearing off. Lee Ann brought Morgan up to the myelosuppression unit in 6a, to be with Camryn before she headed home to recover from the procedure. I have to hand it to her, Morgan handled all of this with grace and dignity, even being calm prior to surgery. As Morgan was leaving the hospital, the pain from the surgery began to settle in and a few tears began to flow. "You done good girl, you done good". Let the tears flow, it's all over. You accomplished everything that was asked of you, and more…

PART TWO

Quite frankly, things could not have gone any more perfectly than they did. Camryn had a very good day today, the best since admission day. Still not eating, but more active and talkative. She certainly sensed the significance of the day. We really should have posted a picture of her IV hanger just so everyone could visualize the number of meds being dripped into her veins, last count was eight. You practically need to be an engineer to calculate maneuvering that IV rack around all the obstacles in the room just for Camryn to go to the bathroom. The infusion (bone marrow transplant) began around 3:30 this afternoon and will be completed around midnight. Regarding Camryn's vitals and organ functions, everything lined up beautifully and normalized for the procedure to go on as planned. All of us are so relieved, just to arrive at this point where the transplant is actually occurring and the harvest was conducted flawlessly. Morgan will be VERY sore the next 3-5 days and may be somewhat challenging as she manages the pain. Dr. Fragoul told us the Morgan's bones are very strong and solid, meaning that they had to apply significant pressure to drill through the bone to get to the marrow (did anyone cringe while reading that last sentence???). Those tough bones are from playing all that rugby, no doubt, right Coach Boone? So, as Lee Ann and I take a night to catch our breath before the next phase of this process (acceptance or rejection of the transplant), we once again recognize power of prayer from the many, the power of faith from the many, the kindnesses bestowed upon our family from so many near and far, and the unsurpassed God-given skills of all the medical personnel involved with the care of Morgan and Camryn. I have been quite strong emotionally so far through all of this, but now, tears of gratitude are flowing. For Morgan and Camryn to have made it this far with relatively few complications, is truly a blessing. Tonight we celebrate, but tomorrow it is back to the grind of endurance for Camryn, and our family. 

Morgan and Dr. Frangoul
pre surgery: smiling now, not so much later

Morgan going under / Harvest time

Morgan in recovery…zzzz 

The bond is sealed.

Marrow, 1 of 3 vials, ready
 for infusion.

The infusion of Morgan's Marrow
 into Camryn that will produce
her missing army of NK cells.

Lee Anns' handiwork, of course on Camryn's hospital room door.
It reads: WELCOME NK CELLS, OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW
"Happy Birthday" represents Camryn's rebirth or 2nd chance at a full life
and that she now has TWO birthdays: August 28th and now June 27th.

                                       

June 25th-26th
Wednesday and Thursday
Days 9-10

Wednesday
A good day during the day, but Camryn was still lethargic finishing her last few hours of chemotherapy. Later in the evening, Camryn's fluids became unbalanced and she was given lasix to help her. Between the hours of 11:00 pm and 4:00 am, Camryn had to go to the bathroom to relieve her bladder five times. Camryn was hooked up to six IV bags so we had to haul those with her into the bathroom and then I had to measure and record the "output" each time. By morning (Thursday), we were both exhausted from lack of sleep, but her fluid levels were normal. Mission accomplished despite the lack of sleep.

Thursday
The nausea has finally subsided which is great because Camryn now rests much more easily than before. Camy has been very relaxed today, no doubt happy that the chemo is over. Even though she has had very little food since Monday, she is getting all the nourishment she requires. Her weight has been maintained throughout the past nine days, which is exactly what her doctors wanted her to do. She still has to start eating again because the mouth sores will hit sometime next week, and eating could be painful. Camryn is now on prophylaxis anti-infective agents (bacterial and fungal) because she no longer has an immune system; her white blood cell count is officially zero. Her temperature is being monitored for any slight increases, a sign of an infection which would not be the optimal situation. The other big issue to watch is Camryn's body potentially rejecting Morgan's bone marrow.  Camryn has already been started on a "graft" medication which is used to minimize the risk of rejection. So, here we are, the night before the "harvest and the "graft". Thankfully, gratefully, all has gone considerably well. For tomorrow, Morgan will be at the hospital at 6:00 am being prepped for surgery. The harvest will begin around 8:00 am. Marrow will be extracted from her hips by a long needle that will penetrate the bone into the marrow, about 5-6 times per hip. In total, a pint of marrow will be harvested. Morgan will then be moved to recovery, and yes Morgan will be sedated the entire time. Recovery could last an hour or more. The Marrow will be taken from the 3rd floor surgery suite to the myelosuppression unit, or 6a, where Camryn is located. The bag of marrow will then been administered to Camryn, similar to a blood transfusion. We hope to have Morgan awake by then so that we can take her up to 6a so she can see the actual process occur. Somehow, someway, the transplanted marrow knows where to go to find its home inside of Camryn's bones. If all goes well, the transplanted marrow will then begin to properly graft and function normally, which would include the production of those long lost NK cells that Camryn has never had the pleasure to welcome into her body; and thus beginning the process of reversing GATA 2, Camryn's immunodeficiency. So, there it is. Camryn still has a long road to travel, which is sure to have some hills, potholes, sharp curves, and unexpected detours, but hopefully no blown engines or flat tires. Thank you all again and again for your prayers and good wishes, we have honestly felt them all, and they are working. Your faith helps to sustain us, for which we are eternally grateful.

Tuesday June 24th
Day 8

I am posting this on Wednesday morning. A much better day yesterday for Camryn. Lee Ann was with her all day and the last two nights. Camy actually ate something, lime salted popcorn and sour popsicles. Now, while I question the selection of "food" to eat, it was something. Knowing Lee Ann's ridiculously strange cravings for the sour, I am not surprised this is what Camryn reached for. The nasty nausea has somewhat subsided for the time being, but it is sure to return so we are just appreciating this little break of having Camryn more active. The transplant team met with Lee Ann and Camryn yesterday and reviewed the "finer" details. Wednesday is the last day of chemotherapy. Camryn has already begun taking "anti-rejection" medication, along with some additional medications to aid the "grafting" process. Camy is on so many meds that I have lost count, but Camryn can tell you. She can tell you about the meds that I can't even pronounce ( a little bit of McKay in her maybe?). The next five days are extremely important. Lee Ann and I will swap places today (Wednesday) and then both of us will be primarily at the hospital Friday through Monday. I will reveal the details and timing of Friday's marrow harvesting from Morgan, and the actual marrow transplant once we have them. If Morgan is nervous, she still is not showing it. I know things will be a little different for her when she is being prepped for surgery. It's then, that Morgan's integral and essential role of this story becomes reality.

This picture pretty much reflects what had been Camryn's
primary activity level the past few days, until late yesterday (Tuesday) afternoon.
Had this been me, this would have been my activity level since hospital admission.

Monday, June 23rd
Day 7

A little late getting this one posted. Yesterday was rough as was Sunday night. As of last night, Camryn had not eaten solid food for nearly 48 hours. She plugs her ears at the very mention of food; that is how all the nausea has affected her. It's now her constant companion. The meds are a tremendous help. But there is a balance of choosing between high doses of anti nausea meds, which will knock her out; or more moderate doses which reduces not nausea, but not completely, however, Camy will be awake. So, one might ask, why not just give the knockout and allow her to sleep? Great question, the problem is that Camy needs to walk at least three times per day around the unit. She also needs to scrub her mouth four times per day (this one is critical as it relates to the next big chemo side effect which is the formation of painful sores in her mouth as the cells in her mouth die) which is done to help prevent bacteria growing in her mouth. I have not even mentioned how many times per day she urinates as her body is being pumped with fluids and nutrients that she needs because she is not eating at all, nor drinking. Think of a teenager with a bad attitude, maybe not the best example since ALL teenagers have bad attitudes, who has zero motivation to do anything except lay in bed. Plus, all she wants to do is sleep and watch TV. For Camryn, watching TV is actually a good thing (I can't believe I am saying this) because it takes her mind away from thinking about the nausea. Concessions, that is what Lee Ann and I are accepting. I want the World Cup, Camryn wants Disney Channel. Guess who losses this battle? Good news though, the ESPN app saved me from torturous hours of watching the Disney Channel. Thank you ESPN.

Sunday, June 22nd
Day 6

Tough day today, even though Camryn was able to Face Time with her Sunday School class. The effects of chemo induced nausea / vomiting are in full force. Except for her 45 minutes of Face Time, Camy has been lethargic, restless, and vomiting. We knew this was coming, but it is still difficult to stand by her through this feeling so helpless. For those of you who have previously been through this, you have our utmost respect. Today we were reminded, that from here, things only get worse and will be for 2-3 weeks.  The staff here has been great helping Lee Ann and me to manage things the best we can. Our education regarding bone marrow transplants continues at a rapid pace, expedited times 100, to be exact and we still feel as though we know nothing. Now, I am not a control freak, except when it comes to my yard, but this feeling of helplessness is somewhat overwhelming, I confess. We have access to plenty of "experts" in the unit here at Vandy. Their advice (nurses, physicians, other parents, other kids) has been invaluable and spot on target as Camryn has progressed through the bone marrow transplant stages. Thank you again for your prayers, love, and support. We needed it today.

Saturday, June 21st
Day 5

The expected side effects of chemotherapy caught up with Camryn last night. As Lee Ann phrased it, "I had to do a clean up on isle four at 2:00 am". Having six kids, and thus a fair amount of experience with this type of "hazmat" clean up, Lee Ann knew just what to do. Don't assume that I was never involved with those  kinds of clean up at home, because I was. In fact, I seemed to be the one who always had to change the "radioactive" diapers. I digress again, back to the original topic, to control the nausea, Camryn's  medication dosage was increased. The one side effect of that increase was that she was out cold for ten hours. Camryn normally is a very deep sleeper, so the added med enhanced the deep sleep. The nurses had a tough time getting her awake for her scheduled late morning dosing of her meds. Camryn was pretty much a slug in bed most of the day but Lee Ann got her up and walking a bit. Anyway, everything is still on course for Friday's bone marrow transplant. Tomorrow Camryn will start on an additional chemotherapy drug. This one is more potent that the current medication, so increased side effects are expected, possibly even the dreaded hair loss. Camryn will continue her chemotherapy treatments through Wednesday, then Thursday off, then Friday the transplant. Morgan is starting to get a little nervous, but tries to hide it. It's ok to be nervous Morgan, there is no shame in that.

Camryn and her decorated hospital room, home for the six weeks of hospitalization. Compliments of mom. Nice job mom

Friday, June 20th
Day 4

Camryn has begun to slowly feel the effects of the chemotherapy. Some nausea, but otherwise she is still doing fine. She is however, very concerned about the potential for diarrhea. Her concern is not about what you may believe it to be. The problem with diarrhea for Camryn, is that once she has it, she becomes confined to her hospital room and will no longer be able to roam the unit. Anything that may be a threat of spreading bacteria, shuts you down on this unit. The risks are real and can become dangerous to those whose immune systems have become compromised. That is Camy's fear, the fear of losing her freedom to leave her room. That time may be rapidly approaching as she begins a dosing regimen with multiple chemotherapy medications this weekend. We hope she has at least a couple more days of "freedom" left.

A personal note, if I may, regarding something upon which I was reflecting late this afternoon while with Camryn. One of the procedures involved with diagnosing GATA2 deficiency, is a bone marrow biopsy. The biopsy reveals abnormalities of the marrow consistent with GATA2 patients. Camryn has had three. The first biopsy was to diagnose, which confirmed the need for a transplant. The other two biopsies were to observe any changes over time in the marrow from the baseline biopsy. The biopsy is performed with a very large and long needle that penetrates the hip bone and extracts marrow and very small fragments of bone to be examined. Camryn was sedated through the procedure, but nonetheless was quite anxious prior to the surgery. She knew that afterwards, her recovery would include pain when walking or moving the leg. The day of Camryn's first biopsy, both Lee Ann and I were with her. We were in the surgery waiting area, preparing to be called back. As Camryn sat on my lap, she quietly asked questions about the procedure and the recovery; questions that we had previously discussed many times. I knew the questions were just a front for her anxiety and fear. Anxiety of the unknown, and fear that she might not "wake up" from her medically induced sleep.  If there existed a parental guide as to how to handle this kind of situation, I needed it then. I did the only thing that I could think of, and that was to pull her close to me and hold her tightly on my lap. As we sat there quietly, deep in thought, I could feel the tension leave Camryn and her body began to relax as she gently patted my cheek. I knew then, that if anything should happen to Camryn down the road,  this moment was the one to be captured in my memory; this moment was far to precious to allow it to slip away. I held onto her until Camy was called back into surgery.

Thursday, June 19th
Day 3

Camryn's chemotherapy schedule is once every six hours, for two hours, no deviations. She is also taking six additional oral medications, but Camryn is doing great. She has three blood draws every hour on the hour during the administration of chemotherapy. All urine is collected throughout the day and night. Because of the risks associated with chemotherapy, organ function must be constantly monitored. The nurses have been incredible catering to every need and comfort for Camryn. You can tell that they love what they do. They are exceptional, in my opinion, in their jobs. I have found the 6a unit to be a fascinating place. Hope abounds everywhere, despite the sobering realities of the circumstances of being a patient in 6a. The staff in the unit have done so much to make the unit as close to "home" as possible. For example, in the unit are these "turtle" things (sort of like a big wheel) that people race around the hallways of the unit. Lee Ann and Camryn had races, as did Camryn, Casey, and Morgan. Lee Ann beat Camryn, but Camryn smoked Casey and Morgan. Check out the pictures below. I love the fact that some of these kids who are healthy enough to leave their rooms, can be a normal kid for a little while, despite being "quarantined" to the confines of 6a. Regardless of the "fun" depicted in the pictures below, we understand the realities of Camryn's situation. A simple activity such as this, allows us a few moments to escape with Camryn; to appreciate laughter, love, and life.

If you know Camryn, you know that she has a quirky sense of humor. As a coping mechanism through the years, Camy has given names to some of her warts. Warts that were exceptionally large, or had a unique shape, or appeared in an unusual location. For example, on her right "pointer" finger, Camryn

 has a large wart growing under her finger nail that has grown straight out beyond the nail by at least one inch.The appearance was that of a an enormously long finger nail. Camryn, in a display of her acceptance of the situation, named that particular wart "Witchy Poo". The darn thing practically has celebrity status around the Rasmussen household. However, I am here to happily announce the demise of Witchy Poo. The elongated wart simply dropped off today. A sign, we hope, of future things to come regarding the fate of those pesky warts…

Lee Ann selfishly winning. So much
for allowing the sick kid to win.

Casey incorrectly assuming that she
would win. Silly Casey... 

Sleep well princess, you will win the race that matters.

Wednesday, June 18th
Day 2: Chemotherapy Begins

First day of chemotherapy went well. Camryn is expected to feel "normal" the next few days. By the weekend she will begin to feel the real affects of chemotherapy. We are hoping for a not-so-trying-journey, but that one is not our call to make. We have begun this journey full of faith, with complete trust in God. We feel His hand guiding this process, leading us to this point in time. So many people have contacted us through every modern way of communication, to offer their prayers and support. We feel your love and your prayers. They give us strength to face the unknown. We are so grateful for the support. Two days into this thing and I think that Lee Ann and I underestimated the challenges of being at the hospital, at home, at work, etc. Well maybe she didn't, but I certainly did. We met a family yesterday from Vicksburg, MS. Their 17 year old daughter, Afton, is on the unit with Camryn. Their story is one of true divine intervention building one's faith, despite what logic may dictate to the mind. I found these people to be an inspiration of hope, cemented in a foundation of faith. They, too, are LDS and have been an inspiration to the staff who work in the unit. I look forward to my daily chats with them and to be of service in any way that I can. Casey will spend the night with Camryn. Lee Ann will be home tonight and both of us will be back at Vandy tomorrow morning. Trying to balance spreading the attention among our five children has not been easy and we are only two days into this. They tell us that they understand, but parents already know that CHILDREN LIE! In this case, the lie is to protect Camryn and to not make us (the parents) feel guilty for "neglecting" (albeit inadvertently) the children left at home. So, tonight, while Casey and Morgan are at the hospital, I will take Jaime Shae and Sydney to get ice cream (and no, this activity is not my own attempt at the pursuit of self interest) which will hopefully demonstrate to them that "I still know you exist". More tomorrow...

Tuesday, June 18th

Day 1: Admission / Surgery

Camryn was admitted today. Started with a 7:30 am surgery to insert a venous catheter just below her left shoulder blade. Took about an hour. The catheter makes blood draws so much easier on the patient. Camryn will have multiple draws everyday. Camryn spent the day getting acquainted with her new room, where she will be for the next six weeks, and recovering from the surgery. She was groggy most of the day. Of course Lee Ann was there all day. She wants to decorate the room "Camryn" style, which is allowed. From the pictures posted, you may have noticed that Camryn has significantly shorter hair. We convinced her to have her hair cut short, just to see if she like short hair. Camryn agreed it was a good time to try short hair since she will probably lose all of her hair any way due to the chemotherapy. We all agreed, the hair is a hit. I drove up all the kids to see Camy, except Sydney. Sydney has a cough and if you have a cough or the sniffles, you are not allowed in the unit. ALL of the patients in "6A" are immunocompromised, meaning, they don't have or have only weak immune systems from chemotherapy. Nice spacious room, with parental "sleeping" bed. My turn will come shortly. Big day tomorrow, Camryn begins chemotherapy. She will be administered chemotherapy for eight straight days. She gets one day off, then on Friday, June 27th, Camryn receives her new bone marrow from her donor, Morgan. More on that tomorrow. A good first day, but a little anxiety for Camy.

Camryn and Jaime Shae saying goodbye
5:30 am Tuesday morning
(this one was a tear jerker)

The BIG goodbye from her sisters

Even though they have separate beds
at home, they always end up in the
same bed. So why not at the hospital too?

The Story Behind The Story of the Bone Marrow Transplant

To our dear friends and family:

This blog is for you, so that you will be able to follow Camryn's journey along the road of her bone marrow transplant. Lee Ann and I felt that blogging would be the most efficient way to communicate to everyone updates regarding Camryn, even though the this may be somewhat impersonal. I begin by providing some background information as to why Camryn needs a bone marrow transplant. When she was young, about four years old, Camryn began to develop warts on her fingers and toes. Eventually those warts spread to her face, lips, and mouth. You can imagine the effect those warts had upon Camryn's psyche. Everywhere she went publicly, there were the stares, the snide comments, the teasing.  As parents, we wanted to step in to handle every situation for her behalf, but doing so would not allow her to learn for herself how to manage this, for ever how long she would have these warts. In time, Camryn met some wonderful friends who looked beyond the warts to find a very happy, funny, and thoughtful child, who is grateful for those cherished friendships. Medically through the years we visited physician after physician, only to be disappointed when no one could offer a solution to the wart problem. We tried every medical option that we knew of to treat warts, but nothing worked. Some treatments did appear to slow the spreading of the warts, yet far from the desired result of complete elimination. As Camryn was approaching the time of entering Middle School, Lee Ann and I knew that something had to be done with the facial warts. Entering Middle School with all those warts on her face would not be a good thing for her. We decided to give Vanderbilt Dermatology a try, at the suggestion and urging of one of our dear physician friends who is employed by Vandy. One can only ask why we waited so long to visit Vandy, but if you had been bounced around for years from doctor to doctor, never receiving a solution, you would understand our frustration. What happened next, over the course of a year, is nothing less than a miracle in our eyes. The Dermatologist at Vandy, spent far more time with us than any physician had in the past. I sensed from his comments to us after Camryn's examination that he suspected something, a "specific something". He assured us that he would follow through and he referred us to a pediatric plastic surgeon at Vandy, who would perform the laser surgery on Camryn's facial warts, as well as some on her fingers. Last summer, Camryn had her laser surgery. Prior to the surgery, as she and I were in the surgery prep room, Camryn mentioned to me how excited she was to  get a "new face". A comment such as that speaks volumes regarding how Camryn perceived herself with all those warts. The surgery was a huge success with very little visible scarring. We were ecstatic, as was Camryn. Shortly after school started in the fall, we met again with the dermatologist. He told us that he wanted us to see a specific immunologist at Vandy, who specializes in immune deficiencies. Immune deficiencies? That was the first time we realized that whatever was going on with Camryn, was far more serious than just warts. However, we felt that medical progress in treating Camryn was well on its way. We soon met with the immunologist at Vandy, multiple times, and Camryn had vials and vials of blood extracted from her veins. The third appointment with the immunologist, our world as we currently knew it, forever changed. All the tests, all the blood draws, revealed the issue. Camryn was born with an immune deficiency. That deficiency had been medically discovered only five years ago. While the problem has existed  for years and years, identifying the issue and giving it a name and a condition, was quite recent. Our Vandy immunologist happens to be good friends with the world's expert regarding Camryn's immune deficiency. He helped to diagnose Camryn's condition. Camryn's immune system does not produce what are called "NK" or Natural Killer Cells. These cells aid the body in fighting infections from viruses and bacteria; her army to fight the bad guys or germs, was severely compromised. Now that explains the the warts and why we could not get rid of them. Camryn's body has the inability to fight that virus.  The immunologist referred us to an oncologist. Oncologist?? Why an Oncologist? We were confused and had not yet mentally put all the pieces of the puzzle together. We soon met with the Oncologist and was told that Camryn's condition is called MonoMac or Gatta2 deficiency. Children with this immune disorder eventually get very sick in their late teens, or early 20's. Leukemia is a major culprit, along with other cancers and bacterial infections. We were told that a bone marrow transplant is how to treat the immune disorder, even reverse the immune deficiency. That conversation occurred in September. By January, all family members, except McKay, had undergone testing to not only find a bone marrow donor, but also to see if Gatta2 was genetic to us. We found a donor, perfect match, in Morgan. We also found out that Gatta2 is not genetic to our family.  Whew! In March, we met with the Vandy transplant team and determined that Camryn should have the transplant as early as possible…June. That decision was based on the recommendation from the world's Gatta2 expert to treat now, while Camryn is healthy, thus reducing the risks of complications. The details of it all were somewhat overwhelming: Three weeks of isolation at home (to reduce the risk if illness) prior to hospitalization. Once admitted to the hospital, 6 weeks living on the 6th floor at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital. Camryn cannot leave the unit. Six weeks…if all goes well. Once Camryn is well enough to return home, she will remain in isolation until January. Isolation means no going out to public places: school, church, movie theaters, restaurants, etc., no involvement with anyone except family, unless any of us have a cough or the sniffles and then we banish ourselves from her until we get better.  So, there it is, the story of why a bone marrow transplant. Though all of this, we have learned to be grateful for so many things, but one thing in particular; we are extremely grateful for warts. For warts, you see, were the key to diagnosing Camryn's condition. She showed no other signs or symptoms of illness, other than those pesky, bothersome, livesaving warts. So, Camryn's journey begins...