Dear Editor,
Our 2-year-old daughter was given a chance for normal life expectancy after the generous gift of someone in your community. Rylie received a cord blood transplant a year ago on May 7. As we approach the anniversary of this life-giving procedure, we remember the gift of the donor who made this possible.
We will never know who donated their child’s cord blood for our daughter, but the information we did receive told us that the cord blood, a perfect match for Rylie, was from the St. Louis cord blood bank and from a female baby born in 2004. We cannot put into words our gratitude to the unselfishness of the donor’s parents by allowing their daughter’s cord blood to be saved in case another might need it. We wish we could tell them that it was needed––and it worked! By the grace of God, we are thrilled to say that Rylie is 100% engrafted, and the degenerative genetic disease her body possessed has been halted. Without the cord blood match and transplant procedure, her disorder would have led to regression in development and almost certain death by age 10. Instead she is a thriving, happy toddler with a bright future ahead of her.
We hope this letter encourages others who have given, whether it be cord blood, other blood products, or organs. Their gift does save lives.
Sincerely,
Lyle and Jade
Denver, Colorado
7 comments:
Beautiful, Jade. This would inspire me to save cord blood, if I were an expectant parent. So thankful that Rylie's doing so well.
Jade (and Lyle) -- thanks for sharing...and just when I thought I was done crying. It's amazing how far you've come this past year...God has truly blessed you all and those that donate! Love you guys! Jo & Leonard
Jade,
That letter brought me to tears! I am so glad Rylie is striving day by day! Love reading about her and keep up the great work as a parent!
Erin (Hoagland) Huffman
What a beautiful letter. It is a perfect expression of the gratitude we all have for the generous donors.
I thank God for them each day.
Glad to hear that Rylie is doing so well.
Love,
Gracie's Noni
Beautifully put, Jade. Oh, that's already been said. Of course! love and prayers. L&B
What a beautiful letter! I started crying while reading it, and I see I'm not the only one... I'm so glad you were able to find a match for Rylie! I know you didn't get your cord through the NMDP, but these kinds of wonderful stories truly make me glad we can help people like you and Rylie. These types of stories make it all worthwhile - so THANK YOU!
Oh, I'm so glad you took your valuable time to write this letter of gratitude. Sort of like the book (which I know you didn't love!) "The History of Love" and the way it had its impact on various families, I can imagine your letter having a very profound impact on families who have made this decision in the past, or who will have the opportunity to in the future.
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