C
chanell
Guest
Please Pray For Reef
Reef's story...
Reef Carneson was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia at the age of 5 months - this at a routine paediatric check up. He was sent by ambulance from the doctors rooms to Donald Gordon Medical Centre. A month into the Chemotherapy treatment Reef went into renal failure and had to be rushed to Morningside I.C.U. and put on dialysis which he survived .He then returned to D.G.M.C. and continued with an extremely agressive protocol of chemotherapy. Approximately 3 months into his treatment he started seizing and these seizures could not be brought under control for 3 hours. He was again rushed to I.C.U. at Garden City Clinic and treated for "epilepsy".
Back at Donald Gordon he completed his chemo but as he had not gone into remission after the induction period it was decided that a bone marrow transplant would have to be performed and the search began for a suitable donor. No match was found amongst on the S.A. Bone marrow registry and so the search continued overseas and 100% match was found in Germany. He was transferred to Unitas Hospital under Dr. Reynders and his port removed and a triple Hickman line inserted. His bone marrow was killed off completely with aggressive therapy and he was placed in isolation.
It was after this that Reef's problems escalated. His little body swelled up with fluid to the point where he could hardly see out of his eyes and was unable to sit. Fluid also began to fill his lungs. His appetite disappeared and it was a battle to feed him. He was on so many intravenous medications that his liver started to take strain. He also developed graft versus host disease which had been explained could be fatal. One morning his blood pressure started to drop severely and he was rushed back to Garden City Clinic - It was discovered that he had gone into septic shock due to an infection in the very lines that were keeping him alive. The Hickman lines were removed from his chest and he was put onto a ventilator. He once again swelled up beyond recognition, developed a Klebsiella virus as well as a fungal infection in his blood. His graft versus host disease became so bad at this time that blisters formed all over his little body which opened into suppurating sores. It was decided to take Reef to a Neurologist to check up on the seizures. It was then discovered that he did not in fact have epilepsy at all, but had bilateral sub-dural bleeds on the brain from allowing his platelets to get too low - another huge shock to all concerned. Reef for almost a year has needed platelets every three days to keep his platelets above 50 and to prevent further bleeds on the brain. Reef at present shows no signs of cancer, but graft versus host disease, lack of appetite and weight loss as well as damage to his liver present a huge problem. Reef is the youngest baby to undergo bone marrow transplant in South Africa. Reef is unable to straighten his fingers or clench his fists due to skin thickening and tightening from the GVHD which is also affecting his hands and feet. The worst affected being his hands and feet. The itching is severe and he is unable to sleep at night, just screams and scratches. A few weeks ago Reef became ill, it was found that he had a virus and he was admitted to UNITAS hospital where he was put onto antibiotics. He started having trouble breathing and on Sunday the 13th of February 2011 he was sedated, intubated and air lifted to Park Lane Hospital. Here he was put onto a ventillator and kept in ICU. It was found that he had fibrosis on his lungs. Once Reef is strong enough he will need extenssive physio t teach him how to talk, walk, eat, etc. all over again.
UPDATE ON REEF: Reef's lumbar puncture results came back - he has encephalitis. The only treatment for this is symptomatic treatment.
Encephalitis is an inflammation of the brain. It usually results from an infection, most often by a virus, but sometimes by bacteria, a fungus, or
parasites. A virus, or other germ in the blood stream, can be carried to the brain. Germs in the brain attract white blood cells, the body's main line of defense against invaders, and this sets up an inflammatory reaction. The brain tissue then swells (called cerebral edema); bleeding may occur within the brain (called intracerebral hemorrhage), and brain damage may occur.
REEF IS VERY ILL.
Reef's story...
Reef Carneson was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia at the age of 5 months - this at a routine paediatric check up. He was sent by ambulance from the doctors rooms to Donald Gordon Medical Centre. A month into the Chemotherapy treatment Reef went into renal failure and had to be rushed to Morningside I.C.U. and put on dialysis which he survived .He then returned to D.G.M.C. and continued with an extremely agressive protocol of chemotherapy. Approximately 3 months into his treatment he started seizing and these seizures could not be brought under control for 3 hours. He was again rushed to I.C.U. at Garden City Clinic and treated for "epilepsy".
Back at Donald Gordon he completed his chemo but as he had not gone into remission after the induction period it was decided that a bone marrow transplant would have to be performed and the search began for a suitable donor. No match was found amongst on the S.A. Bone marrow registry and so the search continued overseas and 100% match was found in Germany. He was transferred to Unitas Hospital under Dr. Reynders and his port removed and a triple Hickman line inserted. His bone marrow was killed off completely with aggressive therapy and he was placed in isolation.
It was after this that Reef's problems escalated. His little body swelled up with fluid to the point where he could hardly see out of his eyes and was unable to sit. Fluid also began to fill his lungs. His appetite disappeared and it was a battle to feed him. He was on so many intravenous medications that his liver started to take strain. He also developed graft versus host disease which had been explained could be fatal. One morning his blood pressure started to drop severely and he was rushed back to Garden City Clinic - It was discovered that he had gone into septic shock due to an infection in the very lines that were keeping him alive. The Hickman lines were removed from his chest and he was put onto a ventilator. He once again swelled up beyond recognition, developed a Klebsiella virus as well as a fungal infection in his blood. His graft versus host disease became so bad at this time that blisters formed all over his little body which opened into suppurating sores. It was decided to take Reef to a Neurologist to check up on the seizures. It was then discovered that he did not in fact have epilepsy at all, but had bilateral sub-dural bleeds on the brain from allowing his platelets to get too low - another huge shock to all concerned. Reef for almost a year has needed platelets every three days to keep his platelets above 50 and to prevent further bleeds on the brain. Reef at present shows no signs of cancer, but graft versus host disease, lack of appetite and weight loss as well as damage to his liver present a huge problem. Reef is the youngest baby to undergo bone marrow transplant in South Africa. Reef is unable to straighten his fingers or clench his fists due to skin thickening and tightening from the GVHD which is also affecting his hands and feet. The worst affected being his hands and feet. The itching is severe and he is unable to sleep at night, just screams and scratches. A few weeks ago Reef became ill, it was found that he had a virus and he was admitted to UNITAS hospital where he was put onto antibiotics. He started having trouble breathing and on Sunday the 13th of February 2011 he was sedated, intubated and air lifted to Park Lane Hospital. Here he was put onto a ventillator and kept in ICU. It was found that he had fibrosis on his lungs. Once Reef is strong enough he will need extenssive physio t teach him how to talk, walk, eat, etc. all over again.
UPDATE ON REEF: Reef's lumbar puncture results came back - he has encephalitis. The only treatment for this is symptomatic treatment.
Encephalitis is an inflammation of the brain. It usually results from an infection, most often by a virus, but sometimes by bacteria, a fungus, or
parasites. A virus, or other germ in the blood stream, can be carried to the brain. Germs in the brain attract white blood cells, the body's main line of defense against invaders, and this sets up an inflammatory reaction. The brain tissue then swells (called cerebral edema); bleeding may occur within the brain (called intracerebral hemorrhage), and brain damage may occur.
REEF IS VERY ILL.
