GIRL HOPES FOR MATCH OF LIFETIME; MARROW TRANSPLANT COULD DEFEAT CANCER.Byline: John Sanders John Sanders is the name of
Most nights have been long and sleepless. They wonder how the bills will get paid. They wonder how the car will get fixed. Sometimes Andre Newsom stays up late just staring out the window, contemplating the problems. Sometimes Latasha Howard sits alone and cries about her daughter, Ashley Wilder, 7. Howard and Newsom say their other problems are minor compared with facing a potentially fatal blood disorder Noun 1. blood disorder - a disease or disorder of the blood blood disease cytopenia - a deficiency of some cellular element of the blood acidemia - a blood disorder characterized by an increased concentration of hydrogen ions in the blood (which falls affecting Ashley. ``We just have a multitude of problems that all came down at one time,'' Newsom said. ``Everything is taking a toll.'' Three months ago, a specialist diagnosed Ashley with lymphoblastic leukemia lymphoblastic leukemia n. A type of lymphocytic leukemia characterized by abnormal, often immature, lymphocytic cells or by the presence of unusually large numbers of immature lymphocytes occurring together with adult lymphocytes. , a life-threatening disease in which cells that normally develop into lymphocytes Lymphocytes Small white blood cells that bear the major responsibility for carrying out the activities of the immune system; they number about 1 trillion. become cancerous and rapidly replace normal cells in the bone marrow. This type of leukemia is the most common cancer in children, accounting for 25 percent of cancer among those younger than 15. ``I try to stay as positive as I can for her, but there are times when it gets to be a bit much,'' Howard said. ``She's pretty positive about it. It hits us more than it does her. She knows how drastic it could be, but I guess she doesn't think about it. She's just still being herself, a child.'' While Ashley's cancer is in remission, Howard and Newsom - with help from others in the community - are organizing a search for a bone-marrow donor. Marrow transplants have brought total recovery in cases like Ashley's. ``I'm staying optimistic,'' Howard said. ``I'm not giving up. I can't give up. That's my daughter. She's my firstborn first·born adj. First in order of birth; born first. n. The child in a family who is born first. Noun 1. firstborn - the offspring who came first in the order of birth eldest . That's my baby That's My Baby is an American television program that follows various animals and their owners through their pregnancy, birth and follow up. It is shown on the channel Animal Planet. . ``If we're not positive, she's not going to be happy, and she needs to be as happy as possible.'' The first sign of illness came when Ashley complained that she hurt all over. A physician thought the child was just experiencing growing pains grow·ing pains pl.n. Pains in the limbs and joints of children or adolescents, frequently occurring at night and often attributed to rapid growth but arising from various unrelated causes. . Ashley kept aching and was sent to a specialist who discovered that the child has cancer. Ashley gets help to ease the pain. She receives shots, spinal taps and treatments with an aspirator as·pi·ra·tor n. An apparatus for removing fluid from a body cavity, consisting usually of a hollow needle and a cannula, connected by tubing to a container in which a vacuum is created by a syringe or a suction pump. , Howard said. Howard quit her job to care for Ashley and take her to a Kaiser Permanente Kaiser Permanente is an integrated managed care organization, based in Oakland, California, founded in 1945 by industrialist Henry J. Kaiser and physician Sidney R. Garfield. hospital three or four times a week. Ashley did not return to school this year at Tierra Bonita Bonita (Spanish and Portuguese for "beautiful") is the name of:
She misses school and her friends, but can play Super Nintendo with her little brother, Desmond, and ride her bike during the search for a bone marrow donor, her mother said. ``We're looking high and low,'' Newsom said. Janette Crawford, the Eastside Union School District board president, and Tierra Bonita North Principal Anne Johnson-Curtis are helping coordinate three blood drives and registration of potential bone marrow donors. The drives will begin Friday and also be held on the same day in each of the next two weeks. Since Ashley is African-American, the best chance of finding a match is among African-Americans, her mother said. The drives will be held from 8:15 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. Friday at Tierra Bonita North Elementary School, 44900 27th St. E., Lancaster; 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 8 at the Lancaster Wal-Mart, 44765 Valley Central Way, and 2 to 8 p.m. Oct. 22 at Joshua Elementary School, 43926 Second St. E. in Lancaster. For more information, contact Anne Shelton (661) 946-1927 at Tierra Bonita, the American Red Cross American Red Cross: see Red Cross. at (661) 267-0650 for the Wal-Mart drive and Donell Williams at (661) 948-0743 for the drive at Joshua Elementary School. Howard said that some drives will also be held in the Los Angeles area. The drives, if they don't match Ashley's marrow, might help another youngster with the same disease. DONORS WANTED LANCASTER - Blood donor and marrow donor registration drives are scheduled the next three Fridays to help 7-year-old leukemia victim Ashley Wilder and other people with similar disorders. Drive times and locations are: 8:15 a.m. to 2:15 p.m. Oct. 1 at Tierra Bonita North Elementary School Room 304, 44900 27th St. E. in Lancaster. (661) 946-1927. 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 8 at Lancaster Wal-Mart, 44765 Valley Central Way in Lancaster. (661) 940-8744. 2 to 8 p.m. Oct. 22 at Joshua Elementary School, 43926 Second St. E. in Lancaster. (661) 948-0743. CAPTION(S): 2 Photos Box: DONORS WANTED (See text) |
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