A Windsor baby who received a bone marrow transplant last month has passed her first major milestone.
Madalayna Ducharme, now seven months old, has officially engrafted with her brother's bone marrow, which she received 33 days ago. The family has been watching her white blood cell count and neutrophil count closely since the transplant. Her neutrophil count has been above the .5 mark for the past three days which medical professionals take as a sign of engraftment.
Her mother, Tamara Ducharme, wrote on the Facebook group she updates nightly that they still have a long road ahead, but engraftment is the first step in the right direction. She says the next milestone will be day 100. According to medical professionals once patients have passed that day there is a major decrease in the chance for potential issues.
Ducharme writes doctors are watching Madalayna's eyes closely as there have been signs of complications which could lead to permanent eye sight issues.
The family is hopeful they can be discharged to the Ronald McDonald House in Toronto on Friday.