Family of McCandless baby who received rare, life-saving bone marrow transplant hopes to be home for Christmas
MCCANDLESS, Pa. (KDKA) -- Eight months ago, we introduced you to little Clementine Blackham.
The McCandless child needed a rare, life-saving bone marrow transplant which she eventually received. Clementine's plight sparked many viewers to put their names on the transplant lists and donate money to help the now 15-month-old little girl. And Clementine just reached a very important milestone.
Her feet are tiny and she's not yet learned to walk, but Clementine Blackham's been on an amazing journey to beat the odds, and so far, she has.
"We finally feel like we're at a place where our doctor even says it feels like we're on cruise control and right now cruise control is good," said her mom Tanner Rae Blackham.
Unable to produce blood cells due to a gene mutation, the baby underwent a marathon bone marrow transplant at St. Louis Children's Hospital. The goal: get to day 100 post-transplant, with her transplanted marrow becoming engrafted, or in other words, making blood.
However, her mom says, "Up until day 99, she was not engrafted and we were worried that we were going to have to go back for a second transplant and do this process all over again."
But what a difference a day makes. And day 100 was miraculously different.
"On day 100, she became fully engrafted," her mom said.
Now Clementine has battled some serious issues, including several infections.
"The night before Halloween, she spiked a really high fever of 103," her mom said.
But true to form, this blue-eyed warrior baby battled on and continues to win with a legion of loved ones and strangers helping her in their own ways.
"My heart wants to give back so bad because of how grateful and thankful we are to the strangers who are still walking this journey with us," her mom said.
Still in St. Louis with her husband Tim and Clementine's older and equally awesome sister Finley, given her progress, there's a wonderful possibility of the following: "We are seeing a tiny bit of light. Our hope is we get home for Christmas. That's our hope."
