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Joey Folino
 Just three weeks from his 10th birthday in July 2007, Joey Folino was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia, also referred to as AML. He spent that birthday at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, where he received all of his treatments. Undergoing aggressive chemotherapy and receiving at least 20 transfusions of red blood cells and 10 transfusions of platelets, Joey battled cancer for 142 days.
Because it took so long for him to go into remission, Joey was a candidate for a bone marrow (stem cell) transplant, which he received in November 2007. His marrow match – the cord blood from a newborn baby boy – was found in the Be the Match Registry by the National Marrow Donor Program.
Hospitalized for an additional 28 days following the transplant, Joey had to go to the doctor three times a week, until day 100. Now, Joey must go to the doctor once a month for five years, until he will be officially considered “cured.”
Joey, the son of Tony and Kim Folino and brother of Jacob and Isabella, attends Ross Elementary, and is very active in sports at North Hills, including baseball, football, basketball, and swimming. He is excited that he is healthy enough to return to his teams.
Matt Riggs
 In August 2007, Matt Riggs was diagnosed with Kappa Light Chain Protein Deposition Disease, which is caused by a malignant cell in bone marrow that overproduces a protein. The disease caused Matt’s kidney’s to fail. He went through chemotherapy twice, and also underwent a bone marrow (stem cell) transplant; he donated the marrow to himself.
Doctors are waiting to see how well the transplant worked, although they are anticipating Matt will need another bone marrow transplant from a separate donor, along with a kidney transplant. Luckily, Matt’s brother, Garrett, is a perfect match for both.
Currently, Matt is doing well, and he says that everyone thinks it’s a miracle he’s back to his old self again.
Steven Edmonds
 When it comes to basketball, Steven Edmonds is always up for a game. At 14, Steven was diagnosed with a form of cancer called Rhabdomyosarcoma, which accounts for 5 to 8 percent of all childhood cancers. He has received chemotherapy, along with multiple blood transfusions, to help treat his condition. In addition, he underwent surgery in the fall of 2006 to remove a tumor behind his left eye.
Steven is now 17 and a senior in high school. He has aspirations of becoming a lawyer. Despite his illness, he remains in good spirits with a great sense of humor and is looking forward to graduation.
Mark Portland
 Photographer Mark Portland has had the desire to donate blood his entire life – he calls it his “civic duty.” Due to a chronic medical condition, he was unable to donate for a period of time. His condition is now maintained by a daily medication that does not interfere with his ability to donate.
Mark donated whole blood for years, before recently beginning to donate double red blood cells. Central Blood Bank’s primary photographer for more than two years, Mark’s photos truly bring the stories of the donors and recipients to life.
Jack Crawford
 Jack Crawford was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome, a bone marrow stem cell disorder resulting in disorderly and ineffective blood production. The disorder is rare in children, but Jack was only 12 at the time of his diagnosis. In 2004, Jack became blood dependent. He now receives regular blood transfusions at Hillman Cancer Center, which he will be required to do for the rest of his life.
Married for 20 years, Jack and his wife, Sharon, live on part of the farm that Jack grew up on. Jack and Sharon love to travel, go camping, shoot sporting clays, and spend time with their two beloved dogs.
Marissa Fenwick
 When Marissa and Allyn Fenwick found out they were expecting a child, they did not expect that they would also face severe complications. During her pregnancy, 26-year-old Marissa was diagnosed with Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura, a rare disorder of the blood coagulation system.
As a result, she had to undergo an emergency delivery two months prior to her due date and began receiving blood transfusions as part of her treatment.
Mother and daughter, Maylanna, are doing well. Marissa is working on her Masters degree from California University.
Kristine Dameron
 Kristine Dameron was born on Dec. 20, 2004. Immediately, there were concerns with the size and shape of her head. Following her two month appointment, Kristine was diagnosed with Craniosynostosis, premature fusion of the skull.
Two weeks after the diagnosis, Kristine underwent surgery at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. Family members donated blood to be used during the surgery if needed. The surgery was a success and their blood donations were released to the general blood supply. The next day, doctors felt Kristine actually did need a transfusion, and a donation from an anonymous volunteer blood donor had to be used. Her condition noticeably improved.
Now an active 4-year-old, Kristine still attends regular check-ups and impresses doctors with her development.
Nick Cipa
 In February 2006, Nick Cipa was admitted to UPMC Shadyside. His platelet levels had dropped below detectable limits and he had bled out of his capillaries and into areas under his skin. He was diagnosed with Evans Syndrome, a rare autoimmune disease where antibodies attack red blood cells and platelets, either individually or simultaneously. Nick received treatments of steroids and platelet transfusions before going into remission.
Nick had to be admitted to UPMC Shadyside again, in December 2006, when his hemoglobin dropped to dangerous levels. During his hospitalization, he received 36 units of blood along with other forms of treatment. Doctors also decided to remove his spleen to help prevent antibodies that would attack his blood from forming.
Thankfully, Nick has been in remission for more than two years.
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