Question

HELLO!! Dr. MIKE,
FIRST OF ALL , I WANT TO INTRODUCE MYSELF MY NAME IS EDEN ,I’M FR. OHIO BUT I’M ORG. FR. PHILIPPINES. MY QUESTION IS ABT. MY NIECE IN THE PHILIPPINES ,SHE IS A DIAGNOSE A ANEMIC AND THEN , THE HER “DR” TOLD TO MY BROTHER SHE NEED A BONE MARROW TRANSPLANT. AND THAT’S WHY I’M SEARCHING ON THE INTERNET ABT. THIS AND I FOUND YOU NAME ON IT… IN THE PHILIPPINES IT’S KIND IF HARD TO FIND A DOCTOR TO DO THE TRANSPLANT THAT’S WHY THE DOCTOR TOLD TO MY BROTHER.. PLEASE RESPOND QUESTION IF YOU HAVE TIME. MY NIECE SHE IS NINE YEAR’S OLD ONLY …SINCERELY ,EDEN

Answer

Dear Eden,

I hope that your little niece will feel better soon. By the sound of your e mail, it appears that your niece would most likely have aplastic anemia.
Aplastic anemia can be inherited or caused by infection, radiation, or chemicals.
Aplastic anemia means that the bone marrow (which usually makes our blood cells) stops working. Without the production of new red blood cells (which give us strength and endurance), platelets (which help our blood clot), and white blood cells (which help us fight infection), we can’t survive.
Bone marrow transplantation is recommended for children who have a matched donor, and who are strong enough to go through the process of bone marrow transplantation.
There are a number of institutions here in the U.S. which perform bone marrow transplants for children with aplastic anemia, leukemia and other blood diseases. I am sorry, but I am unfamiliar with the best place to have it done in the Philippines. If you need the names of places here in the U.S., please let me know. Sincerely, Mike