Health Info #2

Types of Transplants

AUTOLOGOUS- Your own stem cells are collected and saved. High dose chemotheropy is given to treat the disease, then the stem cells are given back. Autologous stem celss can be collected from the blood or the bone marrow.

ALLOGENEIC- Stem cells are taken from another person whose white blood cells closely match yours.
Most often the donor is a close relative such as a full brother or sister because their white blood cells are most likely to match yours. This type of allegeneic transplant is known as a MATCHED RELATED donor transplant (MRD)
If there is no MRD, an unrelated donor might be located through the National Marrow Donor pool. This is known as a MATCHED UNRELATED donro (MUD) transplant. A MUD transplant is more complicated and has more riskes than an MRD transplant.
Matched unrelated stem cells may also be located through cord blood registries. After a mother gives birth, the blood is drained from the placenta and umbilical cord and saved for future use. This blood is rich in stem cells.

SYNGENEIC- A stem cell transplant where the donor is the idential twin of the person recieving the transplant.

Volunteers Needed: This Friday, 12/1

The organizers of the Dec. 1 Coffeehouse event at The Mill are seeking approx. 10 volunteers to help with parking, silent auction, clean-up, etc. This event has been organized to benefit the Haughery Family.
If you are able to volunteer, please contact Pauline at 610-453-6594 or Anya at 717-464-0487 for details.

Fundraiser Dec. 4

COMMUNITY FUNDRAISER AT THE CONESTOGA RESTAURANT & BAR

In Honor of Baby Livi
Monday, December 4th
5pm—9pm
Conestoga Restaurant & Bar
1501 E. King St., Lancaster, PA 17602

The community is invited to dine at the Conestoga on Dec. 4 and a portion
of the evening’s receipts will be donated to the Haugherys, a Lancaster family
whose 20-month old daughter Alivia is struggling with a rare form of leukemia.
Livi will undergo surgery and a bone marrow transplant in the upcoming months.
Please join us for live and silent auctions which will happen throughout the
evening, featuring gifts donated by local merchants.

Health Info #1

The family has asked that some general information can be posted so that everyone can begin to understand some of the medical issues at hand. We'll start with the basics:

HOW THE BODY WORKS

Bone Marrow
Located in the center of the bones, is the place where
blood cells are made. Usually just the flat and long bones are resposible for
the production of blood cells. These blood cells (called stem cells) are
produced in the marrow and mature to become red blood cells, white
blood cells, and platelets. These blood cells are then released into the
blood where they perform the following functions.....
Red- carry oxygen from the lungs to body tissue
White- fight infections or provide defense against infections
Platelets- form clots which stop bleeding.

Blood Counts

Red Blood Cells
The red blood cells carry oxygen, so fi the number of red blood celss
is decreased (anemia), there might be shortness of breath, tiredness,
weakness and paleness. One way to measure the red blood cell count is the packed
cell volume or hematocrit (HCT). The usual value is 37%-47%, however a
haematocrit of 26% or greater would be acceptable for someone who had
previously had chemotheropy. IF the hematocrit falls too low, a
transfusion will be ordered.

White Blood Cells
WBC's fight infection or help provide defense against infections. A
normal WBC count is between 4 to 11 thousand. Neutrophils are one kind of
white blood cell. When we are referring to your ability to fight infection,
we are concerned with the number of netrophils taht you ahve. Other names for
neutrophils are "granulocytes" or "polys"
The Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) tells how many mature infection
fighting white blood cells you have. The percentage of the total WBC that is
made up of neutrophils i the ANC. This tells about the recoery of the bone
marrow and the ability to fight infection.

Platelets
Are blood cells that help form clots. If your platelet count gets too
low you may have some bleeding. Your doctor will examine each day to locate
any evidence of bleeding while the blood counts are low.
Althought a normal platelet count is 140-340 thousand, bleeding does
not usually occur until the platelet count gets much lower than this.

Fundraiser December 1

What: An Evening of Entertainment, Coffee & Desserts and Silent Auction to Benefit the Haughery Family

When: Friday, December 1, 2006 beginning at 6pm

Where: The Mill, 813 Rothsville Rd., Lititz, PA

Everyone is invited to participate in this event, intended to raise money to help cover health costs for Baby Livi as she prepares to undergo surgery and a bone marrow transplant.

If you have questions, please email the coordinators Pauline and Anya. You may also contact them by phone at 610.453.6594.