We read somewhere - "Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other." Anushree personified it.
It was day 172 post transplant and day 190 after she was admitted to the transplant unit that our little princess - Anushree - walked out of the with her parents. Not only she, but each member of the team was eagerly waiting to see her get discharged - cured from the disease. In the last few months, the little one had seen several children come in and leave the unit cured - while she still combated one of the most gruelling post transplantation complications - graft versus host disease.
This little girl had made the team very nervous several times during her stay. In the Indian context, graft versus host disease of the grade that this little one had is often associated with mortality. Her donated bone marrow engrafted in her body well - but it went to the extreme of attacking her own body. The whole setup of transplantations was put to test as she faced one complication after another. There is something more about the spirit of this little girl. In-spite of the fact that she was weak and exhausted, being fed intravenously for a considerable time, battling the diarrhea, rashes and fever each time we went to see her, she would lift her little hand to wave back at us. Each time she would smile. She would listen carefully to what the doctors and the nurses told and cooperated with the treatment plans.
Anushree’s transplant adds strength to our conviction and our model for transplantations. Often, in most transplant centres in the country, the planning for the transplantation costs is done only to cover the duration of treatment. If there is a complication, the family is asked to bear the additional load. Fortunately, we believe that once the child has been taken up for the transplantation, the management of all transplant associated complications are the responsibility of the team. The family had a lot of things to worry about - but not money.
A few days before her anticipated discharged, when one of us visited her, with a gentle little smile she made a request. She reminded that she was promised the cutting of a cake when she get’s discharged. And so it was. The entire pediatric team and the transplantation team got together for the little event. Taking slow steps across the room, our princess saw to it that each one got their share of cake to enjoy. We - were overjoyed! So were the parents!
While Anushree has got back home, the intense monitoring and care will continue. Our goal is not just to finish the transplantations - but to take the children to normal healthy life. To achieve this goal, we will walk the slow steps from now till complete recovery - together with her.
In-spite of facing a host of complications, the way this child was managed and taken care of through the course of the transplantation gives us immense pride and confidence in our team. The doctors, the nurses, the housekeeping and everyone else involved kept faith and fought the battle with the disease very well.